


A Touch of Sage

by darkdaysclub4



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 39,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkdaysclub4/pseuds/darkdaysclub4
Summary: After being left in New York by her brother a few years back, Sage Winston finds her way back to Tulsa. It had been 4 years since she had last seen the gang and a surprise visit leaves her and Dally in a worse spot than they were before he left NY. Just as things started looking up, a few bad decisions puts Sage in a tough spot. Her choices may haunt her for the rest of her life.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. one

Sage P.O.V.  
It was a cool autumn night as I drove into Tulsa. It had been four years since I stepped into the socially split town and it boy it felt good to be back. I needed some quick cash in case my return wasn't the welcome I was hoping for and knew just the place to get it.   
I navigated the beat-up dirt roads and found the track sitting in the same spot I left it in. People were everywhere and the energy was high as I drove my car around the back. An older teenage boy looked at me like I was crazy when I stopped and said I wanted a spot tonight. "You do know this is a drag race, right? And it ain't the friendly kind." I smirked at him and nodded my head. After a few moments of hesitation, he asked for a name. "Sage." Writing down my name, he handed me a paper to put on my dash. "Good luck." He shook his head as I drove off towards the starting line.   
Back in New York I tried to race all the time. I knew it was easy money and the thrill was icing on the cake. But Tulsa was different. The track was a straight shot, but it wasn't kept up with and there were no rules. I remember coming here when I was younger and saw more wrecks than clean races.   
It was mainly run by greasers, the lower class who has the bad rap. If a soc wanted to race, it would be on their side of town on their terms. I remember the guys telling me that it was a trap because they had all the money in the world to make their car go as fast as they wanted it to.  
I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw a bright orange mustang with two black racing stripes down the middle of it pull up next to me. My windows were tinted dark enough to where no one could see who I was unless the window was rolled down. My heart stopped as I looked over to see this movie star looking boy with the carefree smile. Sodapop Curtis.  
I chuckled to myself as I hid in my car because he of all people would flip a lid if he knew who was going up against. The girl with the flag pulled my attention back as I tried to push the thoughts of him away. We both rolled up to the line and I could hear the crowd start cheering. I gripped the wheel and let out a long, slow breath as the flag was raised. "Racers ready?" Both our engines revved, signaling we were ready to race.  
The flag seemed to fall in slow motion and by the time it dropped to the ground, we were both headed down the track. Soda was in the lead by a tire for most of the way until he decided to try and knock me off the track. I gripped the wheel tighter as I focused on keeping straight. He slammed his car into the side of mine a few times and I almost lost control. I looked over to see him smirk, thinking he had this in the bag. An idea popped into my head and I laughed at it thinking how crazy it was, but it might be my only chance to win. I looked over and waited for him to swerve his car into mine again and when he did, I slammed on my brakes and watched him crossover in front of me.   
He wasn't expecting me to stop and his car flew to the other side of the track, allowing me to floor it and cross the finish line. I stopped a little bit after and rolled down my window to sit on the opening.   
The guys didn't know I was back in town yet and I wanted to keep it that way. The guy walked over to me and handed the wad of cash over. He shook his head in disbelief and said, "Doll I haven't seen driving like that in a long time. And by a lady of all people." I winked at him, "Wish I could stay, but I have places to be." I took the money and got back in my car to drive off.   
Once the window was rolled up, I took a final look back and saw Soda standing outside his car looking at me shocked.  
Sodas P.O.V.  
The last thing I was expecting was the car to stop in the middle of a dang race. I had hit the wall of tires sitting off to the side and watched the car drive over the finish line.  
Steve, my best friend, was running towards me as I got out of my car. "Soda! Are you okay?" I waved a hand at him, "Fine. Who was that racing?" We both looked over as this girl sat on the side of her car and took the money. All I could see was long, curly blonde hair that moved in the wind.  
I couldn't help but smile when I said, "Steve I think I'm in love." Steve threw an arm around my shoulder and I could hear him laugh, "She sure made you look dumb." We watched her drive off and I wanted nothing more than to follow her.   
Steve put me in a head lock and said, "The girls are waiting for us buddy. Let's go party this loss off." I pushed him off and smiled, "Yeah you're right." Steve let go of me and started laughing,   
"Let's hope not too many people saw who was driving. Last thing we need is for the whole town to know you got beat by a girl." I shook my head at him, but I couldn't help that I was impressed. Girl or not, I wanted to know who the driver was that beat me.


	2. two

Sage P.O.V.  
With the money from the race, my only thought now was to find my brother. I stopped a mile outside of the track and tried to think where he would be. I knew the Curtis house was a few miles down the road, but I had this feeling he wouldn't be there. Not on a Saturday night.  
I drive in the direction of an old friend, hoping he could help me out. A few minutes later, I was parked on the side of the road and walked up to this big party. I knew this side of town was rougher than most and needed to find my friend quickly to stay out of trouble.   
I hadn't made it ten feet before this guy with too much grease in his hair stood in front of me. "Hey pretty lady. You lookin' for a good time?" I couldn't help but laugh at his comment. This guy thought he was hot shit and I sure hope it was the beers that made him think that way.  
"Not from you." I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm. "Now darlin' don't go walkin' away from me. You must be new here. Let me show you around." He was slurring his words and I was losing my patience.  
I looked around to see if I knew any faces here, but I came up short. I looked down at my arm and said, "You have two seconds to let go of me." He laughed, "Or what?" I didn't let say anything else as I swung my right arm around and made contact with his jaw. I heard the crunch of his teeth and he fell to the ground, knocked out cold.  
Before I could do anything else, I heard my name. "Sage Winston. Man did I ever think I would see you again." I turned and saw Tim Sheppard standing behind me with his younger brother Curly.   
Tim and my brother were as good as friends as someone like them could have. Many fights over the years, but somehow it worked for them. I smiled, "Hey Tim. Sorry about your friend here." He chuckled, "That's what he gets for messing with a Winston. What are you doing here?"  
I pushed my hair behind my ears as I said, "Looking for Dally. Know where I can find him?" He had a smirk on his face. "Down living at Buck's. Does he know you are here?"   
I winked at him, "I thought I would surprise him." I walked back to my car and waved back, "See you around, Tim." He nodded his head and I drove off to find my brother.  
-  
It took me a while to remember my way around town. In the four years I was gone, nothing seemed to have changed much. The buildings were run down, the streets were cracked, and potholes were scattered like landmines.   
Just as I was losing hope in myself, I saw the familiar bar with old beat-up cars parked around it. I swung the car into a makeshift parking spot and got out. From the outside I could hear Johnny Cash blaring through the windows, and I knew a party was in full swing.   
As I walked inside, the familiar smell of smoke and alcohol gave me the subtle reminder that I was back home. I quickly scanned the crowed bar for Dally but came up empty. A hand touched my shoulder making me jump.   
"Hey little lady. You lost?" I turned to see Buck Merrill standing behind me and a flicker of realization crossed his face. "Well I'll be damned. Sage Winston, what in the hell are you doin' back in this ol' town?"  
I smiled back to him, "Sight seein' for the moment. Could you point me in the direction of my brother?" He chuckled and shook his head, "Up the stairs. First door on the right." I thanked him and halfway ran up the stairs.   
I stopped outside his door and a few thoughts crossed my mind. Would he be happy to see me? Has he changed in the last four years? And is there some broad sleeping in his bed? I shook my head and let out a deep breath as I walked into the room.   
My last thought was answered when I didn't see anyone in here but Dally, who was passed out across the bed. I shook his leg and yelled at him to get up. The second his eyes flew open, nothing but cuss words came out of his mouth. "Who in fuck are you and what the hell you doin' waking me up like this?"   
I crossed my arms as I waited for him to realize who I was. "That ain't no way to treat your sister." He sat up fast and wiped his eyes, almost like he was trying to figure out if this was a dream. "Sage?" I smirked back at him, "In the flesh."   
He stood up and wrapped me in a fierce hug. My first thought was now answered, but I wasn't sure how long this happiness was going to last. He pulled back and looked me over. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? How did you get here all the way from New York?"   
I held up a hand. "One question at a time." I sat down on his bed, tired from all the drivin' I've been doing. "I needed a change of scenery. New York was getting a little too crowded for me. I am better than I have been in a long while. And I drove here."  
I waited for him to ask more questions, but he still seemed to be in a daze. I snapped my fingers getting more and more impatient with him. He shook his head, "I'm still havin' trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that you're here. What did dad say?"   
I looked down and played with the hem of my shirt. "Nothin' really." He stepped closer and asked what I meant by that. "You were always telling me to get tough and all that jazz. Well I did. He's been a drunken bastard ever since you left, and I was done with it."  
Dally shook his head and started pacing. "You ran away? What do you plan on doin' here, huh?" I shrugged my shoulders which only seemed to anger him more. He threw his hands in the air and yelled, "I can't take care of a kid!"   
My heart sank. I knew once he found out why I was here, he wasn't going to be thrilled. But I am not a kid and I refuse to be treated like one. Shaking my head, I stood up and grabbed to door handle. "Where do you think you're going?" I fired back, "Anywhere but here."   
I made my way down the stairs and caught a glance at Buck. He was sippin' on a beer with an amused look on his face which only pissed me off more. I made my way out of the bar and back to the car where I sat there for a second trying to piece together a plan.  
I had the cash from the drag race, but I didn't want to spend it yet. The only safe place I could think to go to was the Curtis house. Boy were they in for a surprise.


	3. three

Sage P.O.V.  
As I drove down to their side of town, I started thinking about how far Dallas and I have come. He is only a year older than me, putting him at 17 and me at 16. When we lived together back in New York, he and I got into a lot of trouble with our dad and the cops.  
The streets there were tough and a whole lot different than here. In Tulsa you have the two main groups of greasers and socs, who look to fight for pride and many times only used hands and the occasional switchblade. But back in New York, it was run by different gangs and often times heaters were used. I can't tell you the amount of times I had one pointed at me just from walking back to the grocery store.   
I pulled my attention back to the road and saw how nothing had changed. The DX was still a raggedy old building with a gas pump, but I am sure they are getting the most business in town with Soda working there. Steve was a genius when it came to cars. Old or new, it didn't matter.  
I drove a little further and passed the park where the gang used to play football together. I wasn't allowed to play back then since I was one of the younger ones. Ponyboy, Johnny, and I would pretend to commentate what was happening on the field and would always end up in tears from laughin' so hard. I wonder if the boys still played. Maybe I could get in on them now.  
It wasn't too long after that when I pulled up to the Curtis house. A light was always on and it reminded me a bit of New York City. The house that never slept. I had spent all that drive pissed at Dally and thinking of the good old days that I didn't give myself a chance to be nervous. But man was those butterflies alive in my stomach.   
I turned the car off and slowly got out, trying not to be too loud when I closed the door. Anything to buy myself a few more seconds to calm my nerves. Before I knew it, I was standing at their front door trying to work up the courage to knock. I might be Dally's sister, but not seeing people you called your family for 4 years really makes you wonder if it will be the same as what it was before. I took one last deep breath and knocked a few times.   
I could hear yelling that someone was at the door and arguing of who was going to get up. I had my thoughts on who would lose that and sure enough, when that door opened, I saw that innocent face with light brown hair and grey eyes looking right back at me. I gave him a small smile, "Hey Pony. Long time no see."   
He was in shock with his mouth slightly open and eyes blinking quickly to make sure he was seeing straight. I could hear a loud voice behind him ask who it was, and I assumed it was Darry. Pony finally regained his composure and opened the door wider for me to step through. His voice came out a little shaky when he said, "You guys will never believe it."   
That seemed to pique the interest of the group and six pairs of eyes were now staring at me. Everything seemed like it was in slow motion as they tried to figure out what was going on. The only sound that could be heard was mickey mouse on TV and the kitchen sink that was still running.   
And then all hell broke loose.  
Steve and Two-bit came running over to me, wrapping me in a tight hug. Their excitement made me laugh and all nerves that I had before were washed away. They eventually let go and stepped to the side, allowing me to be embraced by the next set of arms.  
Soda's hug was one I never thought I would get again after Dally and I moved to New York. And to be in his arms now was nothing short of amazing. He held on for a second longer and then pulled away. "It's really you." I chuckled and nodded my head. Words seemed nonexistent as he waited for me to say something.  
"Well don't think I'll let you come in here causing all sorts of ruckus without giving me a proper hello." I turned and saw Darry standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder. I walked away from the three guys who seemed to be bouncing with excitement and gave Darry a hug.   
He squeezed hard and said, "It sure it good to see your face walk through that door." I gave him a smiled and turned back to the one boy I hadn't yet acknowledged.   
"Johnnycakes, you better come here and give me a hug." I could see him blush at the nickname, but he still came over to give me a light hug. When he stepped back, I couldn't help but notice the scar under his eye. "Who did it?" He looked down as Two-bit said, "This girl has been here all of 2 minutes and already wants to start a war." He laughed and a few others joined him, but I was still concerned about who did this to him.   
Darry put a hand on my shoulder and told me to sit down. I was still waiting for an answer from Johnny, but when I saw I wasn't going to get one, I looked to Soda for it. "Don't worry about it, Sage. It was a few socs and they got what they deserved." Steve whooped when he said that, and I had to assume they had dealt with it.  
Before I could ask anything else about it, Pony asked what I was doing here. "I missed my family here and thought it was as good as time as any to take a road trip back to ya'll." I couldn't tell them the real reason I was here, and I was hoping they would be smart enough to not pry.   
If there was one thing Dally and I had in common, it was that we like to keep our personal lives to ourselves. Two-bit asked If I had seen my brother. I paused to find the right thing to say without them thinking they had to pick sides. "Yeah we talked for a brief minute and decided we both needed some time to think things over."   
Steve opened a beer and laughed, "I guess it didn't go well. Leave it to good ol' Dal to mess up something good like his sister coming back in town." I shrugged my shoulders and Soda asked how long I was here for.  
"Not too sure. I don't think I can go back to New York, so it depends on if I can pick back where I left off here." A crooked smile was on his face and in that moment, I knew I needed to do everything I can to stay here. Darry told me their house was always open and I had a place to stay as long as I needed.   
We broke into some small talk about what had been going on while I was away, how the city was, and what all had changed with me. I was in the middle of a story when Steve stood up. "You will never guess what happened tonight!" Oh crap.   
I hoped Soda was be too embarrassed to allow anyone to talk about what happened at the track but leave it to his best buddy Steve to rub his nose in it. He continued, "We were at the track and Soda was up to race against this car we had never seen before. We knew he had it in the bag with the new engine I put in it and the fact that this car didn't even look like it should be running. Glory, were we wrong. Soda here was in the lead the entire time and got cocky when he tried to knock this car off the track."   
I looked over to Soda and saw him nodded his head in agreeance. I counted on his ego to slip up somewhere, allowing me to win the race. "Next thing you know, this car stops in the middle of the track and Soda didn't see it! He flew right across the track into the wall and had to watch this car cross the finish line. But to make it even worse, the driver was a girl!"   
They were all laughing at this point, even Darry who didn't always approve of Soda racing. I looked at Soda and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself?"   
He shook his head with that grin all over his face. "Girl or not, she knew how to drive. I only wish I could've seen what she looked like. Maybe that was God tellin' me that she was the girl of my dreams." My heart fluttered even though I knew he had no idea it was me in that car.   
Steve shook his head, "It was the best thing I have ever seen." I smirked and said, "I bet I can tell you a better story." He cocked on eyebrow up, something I am sure he learned from Two-bit, "Try me little girl."   
I looked out the window to see my car sitting on the side of the road, "I drove all the way from New York in the car that's sitting out there." They were all confused, but Steve walked to the window and put his hands on his head, "No freakin' way."   
Two-bit and Pony were pushing each other out of the way to get to the window before the other. Pony didn't understand what was so crazy about this car, but Two-bit turned and pointed at me. "Holy hell. We have our self a badass."   
Soda couldn't wait any longer and skipped over to them. "Move. Let me see what all the fuss is about." They backed up and waited for his reaction. He turned around slowly and stared at me, "You have some explaining to do."


	4. four

Sage P.O.V  
I couldn't tell if Soda was upset or not. I don't think I have ever seen that kid upset except when his parents died. I waited for some sort of emotion to run over his face, but when it didn't, I said, "I needed to cash and the only option I saw was to race."   
He stood there, staring at me for a minute longer until that crooked grin broke out. "You sly dog. Not only did I get beat by a girl, I got beat by someone in our own gang! How could you do this to me?" He laughed and so did the others.   
I simply shrugged my shoulders and crossed my arms over my chest, "Maybe next time you will learn a thing or two about patience instead of throwin' yourself all over the place." He came and wrapped me in a headlock. "My poor rep is goin' down the drain because of you!" Before we could do any damage, Darry broke us up and told us to settle down.  
"This might be an exciting night, but that does not mean three of us don't have work in the morning." I looked at the clock and saw it was past midnight. Steve and Two-bit said they needed to get home and told me they would see me later. I waved bye as I laid down on the couch.  
Pony had already walked into his room when Soda said, "You can have my old room. I have been sleeping with Pony." I gave him a questioning look and he ran a hand through his already messy hair, "He's been havin' these awful nightmares that scare Darry and I more than him I reckon. He doesn't have them as much when I'm in there with him."   
All I could do was nod my head and followed him back to the hallway. I walked right as he turned left and before I closed the door of Soda's old room, his voice carried out, "Night, Sage. I'll see you bright and early." I couldn't help but smile at his words as I closed the door.   
I laid down in bed, taking off my shoes and socks thinking about how much has changed. Poor Pony is getting nightmares that I can only assume are from their parents dying. Johnny is jumpy as all get out and I have a feeling it has something to do with that scar on his face.   
Two-bit and Steve haven't changed much. If anything, they are more childish than before. Darry seems to have aged ten years since I last saw him. He's more tense and stricter than I remember. But I figured that has to do with raising two polar opposite boys.   
And lastly Sodapop. That boy still seems to get drunk off of plain livin' and I hope it stays that way. I knew I missed my life back here, but I never knew it was something I couldn't leave behind again.   
My only hope is my demons stay in New York and let me live the life I know I'm supposed to have.  
-  
I woke up to the smell of bacon and I knew if I wanted to snag a piece, I needed to get in the kitchen before the herd of boys do. I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and knew I had a few outfits in the car to change into, but my stomach was tellin' me food needed to come first.  
I walked into the kitchen to find Darry cooking eggs and bacon and told him good morning. "Mornin'. How'd you sleep?" I sat on the counter and stole a piece of bacon as I answered him, "Better than I have in a long while." He smiled and flipped one of the eggs over.   
I knew Darry wanted more details on why I was here and what all it entailed, so I told him to ask. He tried to act confused, but I waved my hand at him. "I know you better than that. What questions do you have for me that the hooligans didn't ask last night?"   
He gave me a knowing smile and asked, "How did Dally take you coming back?" I looked down at my half eaten piece of bacon and said, "He didn't want to raise a kid." Darry chuckled to himself and mumbled something like, "I don't blame him." But quickly asked, "How long do you really plan on staying?"   
I answered that last night and he knew that. I tilted my head to the side, "That's not what you want to ask." He sighed and I knew there was more to the question. He moved the eggs to a plate and then looked at me.  
"I haven't seen Soda this happy since you left. You were his best friend, and while I don't blame you for leaving, if you up and leave again I don't think he is going to be able to handle it. You and Dally were a big part of this family and when you both left, it was like a hole that couldn't be filled. Dally came back after a few years, but it still wasn't the same. Soda missed his best friend and so did the rest of the guys. I only ask if you plan on staying because I don't want to see the little guy hurt again."   
I nodded my head and looked down at my feet, thinking of the right words to tell him. I can't explain the real reason why I left. Word would get back to Dally and I don't need him in the cooler for murder.   
So, I said, "My dad and I didn't get along too well when Dal left. I didn't make it any better, but it wasn't a place where I could live happily and get somewhere in life. It took a lot of thought on how to leave and where to go. I tried to map out all these different places that I thought would be pretty cool to live in, but my mind kept wondering to here. I just wanted to see you all again, be with my brother, and forget about New York. So, I guess the answer you're lookin' for is yes. I plan on staying for the rest of my life if things work out. But right now, I have no home, my brother I'm sure wants nothing to do with me, and I'm lost on what I'm supposed to even be doing."   
I was so lost in what I was saying that I didn't hear Soda walk in. "Darlin' you know we all love you and this is your home. We will figure out the rest later, but right now the only thing you should be worried about is how bad you smell."   
I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. "I know, I know. I will take a shower when you all leave, but it takes you so long in the bathroom to get all dolled up for work that I haven't had a chance to wash off." He playfully pushed me when he went to grab some eggs and bacon.   
Pony walked in right after and asked what I was doing today. Since the others had work, I hadn't really thought about what I was going to waste my time on until they got off. I shrugged my shoulder and asked him what he wanted to do. "I figured we could go grab Johnny and think of something."   
Two-bit walked in the door and threw an arm over Ponyboy. "What are the youngsters doing today? Getting' wild?" I laughed and Darry shook his head, "Not while he is living under this roof."   
Everyone ate breakfast and the two working boys left for the day. The rest of us cleaned up a bit and walked out to go find Johnny. It wasn't too long before the 4 of us were strolling down the street, looking for something to do. I don't know if I was hoping for a boring day, but a relaxing one would've been nice.  
All hope for that was thrown out the window when I saw Dally walking towards us. "Shit." Pony saw me tense up and put a hand on my shoulder. Two-bit seemed to welcome the fight, but Johnny slowly stepped behind us, away from any confrontation.   
When Dally got to us, I could see the anger on his face. "You come into town unexpected, woke me up like you were wanting this warm family reunion, get all pissy for no reason, and then walk out without any word on where you were going."   
I rolled my eyes which only pissed him off more. "First off, you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me. And second, stop being all dramatic because you knew damn well where I was going. And it wasn't like you cared enough to get out of bed to stop me from walking out. You probably thought if you ignored me, I would disappear from your life again."   
I might have still been a bit upset about how he left New York with no warning. He left me with our drunken father and didn't bother to take me with him. Yeah, we were both still young, but I thought family looked out for each other. Dally showed me I was dead wrong.   
He walked closer and pointed a finger at my chest, "Don't you dare talk to me like that." I let out a small laugh, "Or what? You aren't my daddy."   
And then all hell broke loose.


	5. five

Sage P.O.V.  
I saw something snap in Dally's eyes and next thing I knew, he slapped me across the face. We both stared at each other in disbelief and I made a decision that I would most likely regret later.  
I lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, swinging as hard as I could at him. I managed to connect with his face once, but it was short lived. He flipped us around where he was on top, pining me to the ground. He didn't seem like he was fighting back, more of blocking my swings.   
"Stop before you hurt yourself!" I shook my head and said, "No one hits me and gets away with it. Especially someone who seems to follow in the footsteps of our deadbeat dad!" His grip tightened on my arms and I slid my leg up so I could knee him in the stomach.  
That seemed to throw him off balance and his grip loosened enough for me to slip out from under him and get back on my feet. I held up my hands to fight and he shook his head, "You don't want to do this, kid."  
"I sure as hell do. You deserve to get your ass kicked for how you left me in New York!" He let out an unamused laugh, "You think you have any chance in actually hurting me? Everyone here knows to stay away from me. You better learn that soon, stupid."  
I wish I could say I have more self-control than my brother, but I would be lying. His words sounding like he was talking down to a child, and that was it for me. At that moment, I knew my brother and I looked more alike than we had in years. Both of us in a fighting stance, nothing but anger radiating off of us, and our icy blue eyes saying more than words could ever express.   
I faintly heard Two-bit tell someone to go grab Soda and Steve because he saw it too. He knew we were about to be in an all-out brawl, and no one was going to break up 2 Winston's.   
Before Dally could make a move, I ran towards him with one goal in mind: hurt him as bad as he hurt you.  
Pony P.O.V.  
I ran as fast as I could to the DX because the look on both of their faces told us it was about to get ugly.  
I hadn't seen Sage in a while, but her whole demeanor has changed since she was here last. I knew Dally came back tougher than any greaser in Tulsa, and I can assume New York had been the cause of it. Sage must have been in the same environment because she looked as scary as Dally did.   
When I made it to the DX, Soda and Steve were standing outside talking to Tim and his brother Curly. Soda knew something was wrong the second he saw me. "What happened?"   
I was out of breath from running the half mile here and struggled to say, "Dally and Sage. Fighting. Kill each other."  
They seemed to understand and the group of them ran back with me. I knew it was going to be bad, but I wasn't prepared to see what I did.  
Sage P.O.V  
I know I should be tired, but all I could feel was anger. Dally and I had been going at each other with no mercy for a while now and there was no end in sight.  
I went to throw another punch when arms grabbed me from behind. I struggled to break free, but someone stepped in front of me and started pushing me backwards. I kept fighting them for a few moments until Soda's voice was in my ear, "Calm down. He isn't worth it." I let up a bit and saw Steve was the one in front of me.   
I calmed down enough to take in the scene around me. Soda and Steve were holding me back. Tim, Curly, and Two-bit were dealing with Dally. And Pony and Johnny were standing off to the side, trying to stay away from it all.  
They didn't give me a chance to do anything but follow them to the DX. For most of the way there, Steve had a grip on one arm and Soda was the same on the other. No one said anything until we got back to the gas station and they led me to one of the work benches in the garage.   
Soda told me to sit on it while Steve went to grab the first aid kit. I was almost afraid to know what I looked like, but if it was any indication on how I felt, I knew it wasn't pretty. Steve came back with the kit and a towel and started wiping the blood off my face.   
The only thing I could do was look down while they tried to help me. The silence dragged on until I finally said, "I'm sorry." They both stopped and looked at me. Soda asked why I was apologizing.  
"I egged him on. I knew I shouldn't have, but I did." He put a hand under my chin to make me look at him. "There is nothing to apologize for. Sometimes we have to let the anger out in order to move forward."   
Steve chuckled, "Now do we all fight like we are trying to kill someone? No. But I guess whatever works for you." I don't know if it actually worked though. I was still royally pissed at my brother and I don't see him being too thrilled with me either.   
Soda smiled and shook his head, "I don't know what else we expected from a Winston. You fight just as good as Dally does. Must run in the family." I let out a deep breath and tried not to shake my head.   
I loved my brother, but I wasn't him. I was smarter about the things I did. My moves were calculated and not rash like his were. I don't know what feels worse, my entire body from fighting or that fighting was excused because of who I share my last name with.  
-  
A few weeks had gone by since the rumble between my brother and me. We haven't talked or even seen each other since then which is probably for the best.   
I was settling into the Curtis house well, helping out with chores, cooking, and I even slipped Darry the occasional money I had left over from my races. Races became a big thing for me, Soda, and Steve. Darry wasn't thrilled at all, but when we chipped in to help with the bills, he couldn't say too much. Soda and I would try to get in as many races as we could while Steve did everything in his power to make sure our cars could outrun anyone else's.  
As a group, we had been doing well. No wrecks, multiple races won, and it was starting to feel like old times again.  
Everything was going great until I met up with Angela Sheppard. You know how they say old habits die hard? Well that couldn't be any truer when it came to the two of us. You see, we both had a common interest: how to piss off our brother the most.   
Tim was as tough as they came with running his own gang and doing some questionable business trades. But he looked out for Angela and tried to keep her on the straight and narrow. I guess he gave up with Curly a while back because that kid is a mini Tim for sure.   
Angela was a lot like me in the fact that she couldn't stand to be babied by her older brother. I still haven't talked to Dal, but I know Tim gives him updates when I'm with Angela.   
With all of that being said, this led us to one of our worst decisions we had ever made. Or at least we thought.


	6. six

Sage P.O.V.  
Angela and I were at a party on the south side of town. We both knew we shouldn't be there, but I think that's the thrill of it.  
The last few hours were nothing but drinking, dancing, and flirting with guys we knew we shouldn't have. I was lost in a dance with some blonde headed soc in an ugly green sweater vest when Angela pulled me away.  
We were both pretty hammered which meant we were stumbling around like we were in a pinball game. Eventually she led me upstairs and closed a bedroom door behind us. "Look what I managed to get?"   
She opened her hand and I saw two little white pills sitting there. "What is it?" She smirked at me. "This guy gave me some Ecstasy and I figured we both could use a good pick me up."   
My face broke into a slow smile while I internally debated on taking the pill from her. A small part of me knew this was going to lead to nothing but trouble, but I was drunk and what better way to piss off my brother than getting high at a party on the south side? I grabbed one of the pills and chased it down with a swig of beer.   
I looked up to see Angela giving me an evil grin and I knew at that moment; this night was going to shit. But the funny thing is, I don't care.  
The night turned into one big blur. The sounds were mixing in with the lights and my words felt like mush coming out of my mouth. But this was the most fun I have had in a long time.   
At one point I lost Angela and figured the smart thing to do at that moment was to find her. After a few minutes of stumbling around for her, I saw she was with two guys in a corner. Her face lit up when she saw me and the two guys turned their attention to me, giving me what I thought was a genuine smile.  
I would know better later.   
When I got next to her, she wrapped her arms around me and said that these two guys had some drinks upstairs just for us. How could I turn down a fancy drink from a soc? The bottle was probably worth a small fortune.   
We followed them upstairs into the bedroom we took the Ex a few hours before. Things started to move quickly at this point. One of the guys grabbed me and threw me on the bed while I was trying to push him off me.   
A raspy voice was in my ear telling me to stop fighting or things would get worse. My instincts were kicking in and I was trying everything in my power to get away from him. I looked over and saw Angela was struggling too. Not caring about his threat, I screamed out for help knowing the music downstairs would muffle any attempt of getting someone's attention.   
The soc slugged me in the face, stunning me for a few seconds. The pain next to my right eye screamed at me letting me know that this was all too real. I was getting desperate and bit down on his hand that was trying to cover up my screams. He yelled out and hit me a few times on my side, making me yelp.   
Before I knew it, he pulled a blade out and held against my cheek. "Move again and I will slice you to ribbons." I froze. Everything my brother taught me growing up was thrown out the window and I knew he would be so disappointed in me.  
I closed my eyes and tried to drown out what was happening as he got my pants off and stood over me.  
I thought about how much Dally has changed since the last I saw him. He is cold and detached, even with me. I see the way he looks at Johnny and know that boy is the only one capable of receiving Dally's love.  
Part of me feels like I should envy Johnny, but the truth is I don't think Dally could ever love me like he did back in New York. Back then everything was great. It was me and him against the world and I took that for granted. Once he left, dad flipped out and took all his anger out on me. For the longest time I blamed Dally for what was happening. Maybe if I had tried to keep in touch more, I wouldn't be where I am right now.   
Pain from my cheek brought me back to what was going on and I could feel blood dripping down from where his blade cut me. "Tell anyone what happened, and I will cut your greasy little face to pieces." He stood up and pulled his pants on, signaling his friend it was time to go.   
Once they were out the door, I sat up and looked over to Angela. She had bruises on her face, as well as blood running down her legs. Makeup was smeared under her eyes and I could see the tears starting to form.   
I knew we needed to leave before more people came. "Put your clothes on, wipe your face, and let's go." She looked at me with a pained expression, "I am so sorry."   
I shook my head, "We will break down and talk about this later, but we need to leave right this very second before they bring more friends." Realization crossed her face on the possibility of having to relive this again and she got up.  
I pulled my pants back on and felt how bad my side hurt from being hit. At least one broken rib for sure. I saw a mirror on the other side of the room, and I checked to see how bad I looked.  
I almost jumped from the person looking back at me and saw just how bad I really looked. A bruise was forming next to my right eye, I had a cut running down the left side of my face, and my makeup looked worse off than Angela's.  
I let out a long, shaky breath and tried to fix my appearance. Angela walked up behind me and I could see something in her changed. Her stare was cold, and I knew she wanted to do something about what just happened.   
Before I could say anything, she blurted out, "I am going to kill him. Not tonight, but I promise you it will happen." I didn't doubt that she would follow through with her promise, but at this moment I was only worried about getting home.   
We fixed our clothes, makeup, and hair before we quickly walked out the door to leave this god-awful house. I made sure to keep my head down and not make eye contact with anyone here in hopes that we could leave without any more trouble.   
Thankfully, we made it outside and down the street before either of us stopped. I slowly realized that we have no way home because we had Curly drop us off before he went out looking for trouble.   
Angela realized it too and she sat down on a curb with her head in her hands. "What do we do now?" I shook my head not knowing how to answer that.


	7. seven

Sage P.O.V.  
The walk would take hours to get back on our side of the train tracks and we would be asking to get jumped.   
I saw a payphone up ahead and ran through the names of people we could call, but all of them seemed like a bad answer. If I called Dally, he would most likely kill someone and end up in the cooler. Tim would be as bad as Dally, if not worse.  
The Curtis house would involve Soda and Darry freaking out and the last thing I wanted right now was to be lectured.  
Which meant my other option would be Two-Bit. "The only one I could see picking us up without asking questions would be Two-Bit."   
She looked up at me and I could see she was doing the same thing I was with weighing her options. She nodded her head and we walked across the street to the payphone.  
I put in a nickel and silently prayed that he was home. On the third ring, his voice answered those prayers. "Hello?"   
"Hey, Two. It's Sage. I need you to do me a favor." I could hear him moving around and he asked what was up. I hesitated and then said, "Angela and I were at this party on the south side and really need a ride back."   
I heard him whistle. "Looks like you two were looking for trouble. Do your brothers know you are there?" I was trying not to get snappy with him. "Look, we messed up and need a ride. If you can't give us one then we will walk back. But if you tell our brothers where we are, I will kill you before they even get the chance."   
Angela looked at me and told me to take a deep breath. She was right. If Two-Bit couldn't give us a ride, we were even more screwed than what we are now. When he didn't say anything, I apologized. "I'm sorry if that came out harsh. We have just had a really shitty night and just want to get home. I would call Dally or Tim but they would most likely end up in the cooler for murder if they found out what happened."   
I stopped myself before I said too much. No one needed to know what happened to us and I plan to keep it that way. "Stay where you are. I'm on my way." I hung up and told Angela he was coming.   
Everyone knew this party was the biggest one on the south side and greasers knew to stay away except the dumb ones like us. Angela and I had an unspoken promise that neither one of us were going to speak of this night again.  
Ten minutes later, I saw Two-Bit pulling up beside us and we got in without saying a word. He looked at us both and shook his head, "Did you think they were going to welcome a Winston and Sheppard with open arms to their fancy club? Hell are you both going to the country club for brunch tomorrow?" He started laughing but neither one of us said anything.   
He started driving back to our side of town and asked what happened? I figured my best option was to not speak in hopes he would drop it. Once he figured out neither of us were going to talk, he asked where he could drop us off.   
I didn't even think that far ahead. Angela said her house would be fine, and I eventually told him Buck's, hoping Dally wasn't there. We rode the rest of the way in silence and he dropped Angela off before me. She didn't say anything when she got out and I knew I needed to give her a few days before I saw her again.   
I was lost in thought when I realized we had already passed Buck's. "Where are we going?" "The Curtis's. You need to get cleaned up and Dally is at Buck's." I shook my head and I knew I should be thankful he wasn't throwing me to the sharks, but I don't think I can keep it together long enough to make it through their questions.   
I am going to keep the same tactic as I did for Two-Bit and ignore them enough for them to leave me alone. We pulled up to their house and I could see through the windows that everyone was there besides Dal.  
I told myself I just need to make it to the bathroom before I breakdown, because I could feel it coming. We walked up the steps and Two-Bit let me walk first into the house. I hadn't made it two steps before Soda asked what happened.  
This of course caught everyone else's attention and now Darry was blocking my way to the bathroom. He repeated Soda's question and I stood there looking at the floor.   
Two-Bit said, "Her and Angela were at that party on the south side. I tried to get more out of them, but I got the same silent treatment." Now I was thinking it might have been a better option to walk instead of giving Two-Bit some juicy information. Lord knows he can't ever keep his mouth shut.   
Darry put a hand under my chin and made me look at him. "We just want to help. What happened?" I shook my head and pushed passed him to get to the bathroom. Luckily, he didn't put up a fight and I managed to get in there and lock the door before anyone could stop me.  
I could hear footsteps coming down the hall and I was going to do my best to ignore whoever was out there. I turned the water on in the sink and started cleaning the blood and makeup off my face.  
The cut wasn't too deep and didn't need any stitches thankfully. I could see the bruise near my eye was starting to swell and knew that was going to take a few weeks for it to go away.   
Knocking on the door made me jump and I silently cursed myself for being this skittish. I wasn't going to turn into Johnny no matter what happened. I was tougher than that.   
Soda's voice came through the door. "Baby girl, can you let me in?" He was talking to me like I was an injured animal and that got under my skin.  
In that moment I made a decision. Dally's voice ran through my head, "You get tough like me and you don't get hurt." I was going to get tough and there was nothing anyone could do about it.   
As I turned the water off, I looked at my reflection again and saw that cold, icy stare my brother was known for and I knew I was going to be better off this way.  
I opened the door and saw Soda standing there with Steve. They both looked at me, expecting an answer for why I was here with a busted face. "I'm fine. Just got into it with one of the super socs there. No big deal."   
I heard how cold my voice was towards them and I don't think they were expecting that. I walked past them and made my way to the front door. Darry called out and asked where I was going. "Home. Where Two-Bit should've dropped me off in the first place."  
I shot him a look and I could see him trying to figure out why I was acting this way. Without any other words, I walked out the door making my way towards Buck's.


	8. eight

Soda P.O.V.  
I looked back to the group and they all seemed as confused as I was. Darry turned to Two-bit and asked what happened.   
Two-bit shrugged his shoulders. "She called from a payphone and needed a ride. I tried to joke around with them to lighten the mood, but neither of them budged. Angela looked just as bad as Sage. She did say that Tim and Dal would murder someone if they found out what happened."  
Different things ran through my mind. Sage is warm, outgoing, and knows how to have a good time. Hell, I would think she would be related to Two-bit before Dally, but the look in her eyes when she left mirrored nothing but her brother.  
I heard the rest of them trying to figure it out, but I knew the only way we would get to the bottom of this was to get it out of Sage. I ran out the door before Darry could throw a fit with how late it is.  
Sage P.O.V.  
I heard footsteps behind me, and Soda grabbed my wrist for me to stop. "What is going on? Why are you being like this?"   
I tried to shrug him off, but his grip never let up. "I don't need anyone looking out for me. I am fine on my own." He shook his head, "You aren't like Dallas, so please stop putting up this front. Something happened for you to be feelin' this way, and it's okay to ask for help."   
I could feel the snap coming. "That's my point! I don't need your help or anyone else's for that matter!"   
He fixed me with a serious look. One that doesn't come around often. "I don't believe that for a second. You may think that because you and Dally share a last name that you have to be the same person. And I know I may not be the smartest person out there, but I'm not dumb. You think if you put up this front then you will be fine. But the truth is, you are gonna go down a dark path like Dally and end up on the wrong side of life. And I can't stand by and let that happen."   
I could feel the tears starting to form and didn't know if they were from anger or the fact that Soda might be right. I knew Dally shut people out, hell he has practically cut me out of his life. But I bet he doesn't find himself feelin' like I do.   
I shook my head, "It's not that simple." Soda grabbed my shoulders and squeezed, "It is that simple. Let us in! We are your family and all we want to do is help."   
My thoughts ran back to what "family" meant to me. Dally was family and he left me to suffer on my own. My dad was family and I think I saw more action than a punching bag did. Family to me meant nothing. But there was this small part of me that wanted to run into Soda's arms and tell the gang everything that happened tonight.   
I shook my head, mostly to get those thoughts out. "Right now, I can't be the damsel in distress. Right now, I need to hold my head high and try to forget about this night. That is the only way I am going to get through this, but I can't do that with all of you fussing over me." I took a deep breath, "I need to go to Buck's and lay low for a while. It ain't you, I promise."   
I looked up to see hurt flash over his face. He let go of my arms and nodded his head, "We are always here for you. Please don't forget that." I gave him half a smile and turned to walk away.   
I knew Soda meant well and the rest of the guys back there. But back in New York I had to fend for myself and I think those instincts are taking over. The only person I fully relied on was Dally and we all saw how that ended up. I started walking down the road to Buck's, not worrying about getting jumped since all the soc's were at that god-awful party.   
My thoughts kept wondering back to my days in the city and all the shit I went through there. After Dal left, I found myself sleeping in the streets just to stay away from dad. That's where I met my worst nightmare. I think that is where most of my anger towards Dally comes from. If he hadn't left, then I wouldn't have met Mark and my life wouldn't have slowly gone down the drain.   
I looked up to see a party going in full swing and I sighed hoping Dally wouldn't cause a huge scene. The only thing I wanted was to be alone and move past this night. I walked in and kept my head down as I walked up the stairs to Dally's room. I said a quick prayer that he wasn't in there with some broad because I had no idea what I would do next.   
I opened the door and sighed with relief that the room was empty. I took off my shoes and jacket and went to the sink to run some water over my face. My side was hurting more now that all the adrenaline was gone, and the mirror showed my face starting to swell. My hands were shaking as the events from tonight were catching up to me.   
I was raped and it was my own fault. As much as I wanted to blame my brother for pushing me into wanting to defy him, I couldn't.   
Tears started running down my face as the "get tough" act started slipping away. The bedroom door opened, and I jumped at the sound of music flooding through the room. Through the mirror I saw Dally close the door and ask what I was doing here.   
I wiped my tears and took a deep breath, "I just needed a place to sleep where I wouldn't be bothered. I'll be out in the morning." I heard his footsteps walking towards me and he told me to turn around.   
After a moment of hesitation, I did what he said. I kept my gaze on the floor and flinched when he touched my eye. "Jesus, kid. What happened?" I shook my head, "Just a stupid fight. No big deal." My voice was shaking as I fought to hold back tears.   
He was silent for a minute, probably trying to figure out what to do. Dally was never good with emotions and I wasn't expecting much from him now. I really just wanted to go to sleep. "Who did it?" I shrugged my shoulders hoping he would accept that answer.   
I heard him sigh and walk towards his dresser. He pulled out a shirt and some sweatpants for me to change into. "Your clothes have blood all over them. Here." He handed me the clothes and said he would be back in a few minutes. Once he was out the door, I changed into the borrowed clothes and then laid on the bed.   
I tried to close my eyes, but the second I did all I could see was what that soc did to me. I could feel his hands run up and down my chest, over my thighs, and in places he should never have been near. It was like I was reliving everything that happened, and I was just as helpless as the first time.   
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear Dally come back in. His hand touched my shoulder and I flinched harder than I was proud of. "Why are you crying? What happened?" I didn't realize the tears had come back.   
I shook my head, "Nothing." I knew he was getting impatient with me. He was never one to beat around the bush. "Your face is bruised and cut, you are flinching at the slightest touch, and I can't tell you the last time I saw you cry. Something happened for you to be acting this way."   
He was right about the crying. After getting beat so many times by dad, I simply stopped crying. Tears were a sigh of weakness and you only ever cried if something really bad happened. I tried to tell myself that this wasn't bad, that we have been through worse. But for some reason I couldn't except that lie.   
The words seemed to come out of my mouth with no warning, "I did something really bad."


	9. Chapter 9

Sage P.O.V   
I don’t know why I said anything. The only thing Dally knows how to do is be the overprotective brother and beat up whoever hurt me. The sad thing was, I didn’t even know this guy’s name. Dally sat on the edge of the bed and asked what I did. I struggled to find the right words that wouldn’t anger him. “We went to that party on the south side and things got a little out of hand.” 

“Who’s ‘we’”? Shit. I didn’t mean to bring Angela into this. Who knows what Tim is going to do when he finds out? “You can’t say anything if I tell you.” I saw him nod his head in agreement, but I knew it was an empty promise. 

“Angela was with me.” He let out an unamused laugh, “I already don’t like where this is going. Neither of you know when to stop.” 

His words stung more than I thought they would. I knew I didn’t want to have sex with that guy, and I told him to stop. But if I didn’t take that Ex, would I have been in the same situation? Maybe Dally was right. And that scared me more than anything because that kind of behavior is something Dally is known for. I thought I was smarter than that. 

His voice pulled me back tour conversation, “What happened at the party?” I fiddled with my hands and continued the story. 

“We were drinking and having a great time. Nothing really happened until we decided to take something.” 

He cut me off, “What did you take?” My voice came out small, “Ecstasy.” I don’t think I was going to make it to the end of the story. Dally was already pissed, and I hadn’t even gotten to the worst part yet. 

“Why the fuck would you take that? And on the other side of town with no one there to look out for you, huh? How stupid can you be?” The tears started coming out again and at this point I didn’t care if he saw them or not. Everything he was saying was right, because we were dumb and reckless, and we paid a hefty price for it. 

He saw me getting upset again and visibly tried to calm down. “Continue explaining.” I was honestly afraid to. If he was this upset with me now, I can’t imagine how he is going to take the next part. 

I let out one last deep breath and tried to force my way through the story. “We took it and then everything turned into a blur. We were dancing and having a good ass time, until these guys told us they had this expensive bottle of liquor upstairs. I was honestly curious on what it was and didn’t really think about what we were doing until we got up there and they locked the door.”   
My hands were shaking again, and the tears started turning in to sobs. I felt Dally tense up next to me and quietly asked what happened next. I couldn’t say it out loud. It was almost like if I admitted it, it actually happened, and I still didn’t want to believe it did. 

After a few more minutes of crying I said, “I told him to stop. He just kept hitting me. I couldn’t stop him, Dally. I really tried.” I broke down after that and to my surprise, Dally pulled me into his arms and held me tight. I cried into his chest, inhaling the smell of smoke and whiskey. As much as what happened sucked, I felt like I was home in Dally’s arms. 

We stayed like that for a while, until I was calm enough to pull away. He held my shoulders and looked me in the eyes, “I will handle this.” 

Shaking my head, “I don’t even know who it was. We didn’t see them.” The look in his eyes changed as it clicked for him, “Angela was there too. What happened with her?” 

There I go again, throwing her under the bus. I knew Dal told me he wouldn’t say anything, but Tim was as close to a best friend as he had. I just hope Angela wouldn’t be too mad at me. He snapped his fingers in my face, “Answer the question.” 

“There was a second guy. We couldn’t do anything.” He stood up and started pacing. I leaned my back against the wall and knew I had to wait for him to finish thinking before I could say anything else. Watching him walk back and forth, I could see him slowly start to get angrier. 

Eventually he stopped and looked at me. “You do not leave my sight unless you are with the gang. Do you understand? I looked down and thought about how I last interacted with them. He seemed to know something was up. “Look I know you and I didn’t get off to a hot start, but I only want what’s best for ya. I really am sorry for leaving back in the city, but I didn’t think bringing you back here was what you needed. I know now that I was wrong, but right now I just want to keep you safe.” 

It felt good to hear those words and the fact that he might still care about me, but that wasn’t why I was hesitant. “I didn’t have the best interaction with the gang tonight.” He looked confused and I went on to explain. 

“Two-bit came and got us because I know you would’ve killed someone, and I asked him to bring me here. He didn’t listen and brought me to the Curtis’s so Darry could look at me, but I ended up ignoring all of them. I figured if I could push them away, they wouldn’t keep asking about what happened. I walked out the door after snapping at Two-bit, got into it with Soda and then came here.” 

To my disbelief, he started laughing. Like a genuine laugh that only made me more confused. “Kid, you have no idea how much of me is in you. They probably thought this whole time you were this nice and innocent kid, but really you are me with longer hair.” 

I rolled my eyes, “I guess that’s what living in New York does to you.” He picked up on my clipped tone and gave me a weird look. 

“What happened back home?” I couldn’t tell him about Mark. Not after telling him about what happened tonight. He would never let me leave the house again. “That is a story for another night.” 

Luckily, Dal didn’t want to get into it and said, “The gang will get over it. But I promise you that asshole will not get away with this.” I knew he would hold true to that promise. But Angela also said she was going to kill them. I wonder who will get to them first. 

He went to leave, and I blurted out, “Can you stay? Please?” He froze by the door, seeming to think about what I just asked, and then walked back over to the bed. He took his shoes and shirt off and crawled into the bed. I laid down with my back to him and he threw an arm over me. 

“Yeah, kid. I’ll stay.” I let out a few last tears and slowly fell asleep to the sounds of his breathing.


	10. Chapter 10

Sage P.O.V.  
I woke up the next morning feeling sorer than I had been in a while. When I blinked, I could feel the swelling around my eye. Sitting up in bed was a different story. I had forgotten about my side and the pain was a quick reminder that I had probably broken a rib or two.   
Dally wasn't next to me or anywhere in the room. I guess he got up earlier and I was too tired to hear him. It took a few minutes to get out of the bed and into the bathroom to try and wash off some before I faced what today was going to bring. I quickly showered and changed back into the clothes Dally gave me last night, since mine was covered in blood.   
A shiver went down my spine as I thought about the events from last night. I debated on what to do. I feel like finding Dally was my best option since I wanted to avoid the gang a little longer.   
I walked out of the room and down the stairs to see Dally sitting at the bar with Tim. I froze and they both looked up at me. There was a reason why no one messed with Tim or Dally. They had this thing about them that made them scarier than all get out. Being Dal's little sister didn't make me immune to that.   
Tim looked me over and Dal told me to come have a seat. I had this feeling I was about to be interrogated. And as many times as these two have ended up in the cooler, I'm sure they have picked up the art of it. Dally asked me how I was doing this morning. "Fine." He took a sip of a Pepsi and looked at Tim.   
Tim asked where I got the drugs from. There was no way in hell I was going to tell Tim Shepard that his baby sister got a hold of some Ex. "Last night is still a little fuzzy. I don't remember." He knew I was lying.   
"I am going to ask you one more time and you better think hard about your answer." Part of me was surprised when Dally didn't tell him to back off, but another part of me knew he wanted to know everything. I shook my head, "I got it from one of the people there." I looked Tim straight in the eye when I said it, hoping he would buy this lie.   
He stared back at me and shook his head, "When I asked Angela this morning, she said she got it from someone there. So, either you are covering for her or she is covering for you." He hit the bar top with his fist, making me jump. "You both are nothing but trouble together. Drinking, drugs, fighting. It never stops with the two of you. Maybe after what happened last night you will finally start to realize that this all isn't one big game!" He yelled the last part.   
Dally still hadn't moved from his chair and I don't know what pissed me off more. The fact that my brother is letting Tim talk to me like this, or that I'm letting him. Tim probably thought because he was who he was, I wouldn't do anything stupid or rash. Which I think is why I was about to do what I was.   
Before him or Dally could register what was going on, I threw my arm back and swung it at his face, making contact with his nose. Dally pulled me back and stood between the two of us so Tim couldn't touch me.   
"You don't get to talk like that and get away with it. You were not the one raped last night, so stop trying to make me feel even worse than what I do. Yeah, the drugs might have been a step too far, but if the two of you wouldn't baby us like you do, maybe we wouldn't rebel against ya'll!"   
Everyone was silent and I heard Dally curse under his breath. Tim looked at me shocked, "You were raped?" Shit. I thought Dally has told him. When I looked at my brother, all he did was shake his head. I sat at the bar and put my head in my hands. All I wanted was for them to leave me alone.   
It was silent for a few more minutes until Dally said, "He came over and said Angela was acting weird. That she had taken something last night and didn't feel well today. He knew you were both together last night and wanted to know what happened with you. I told you kid, I wasn't going to tell anyone what happened."   
I should give Dal some credit for not saying anything. I honestly thought he would run straight to Tim when he found out we both made poor decisions. Tim's voice pulled me out of my thoughts when he asked if his sister was involved. I was barely able to tell my own brother what happened, there was no way I could tell Tim.   
I shook my head and stood up from the bar. Dally asked where I was going, "Back to bed." They didn't stop me as I walked back up the stairs. I shut the door, laid back in bed, and prayed that Angela wasn't going to kill me when she finds out I spilled the beans. I could hear Tim and Dally yelling downstairs. I was only able to pick up pieces of the conversation, but I know there were things said about us not hanging out together and who they were going to kill.   
I rolled my eyes and saw a phone on the dresser. Maybe if I gave Angela a heads up, she wouldn't hate me too much. I dialed their number and heard it ring a few times before a guy's voice answered. "I need to talk to Angela."   
There was some brief yelling and movement on the other line and then Angela picked up. "Hello?" I took a deep breath, "Please don't hate me. I woke up this morning and was bombarded by both of our brothers. I told him I got the drugs from someone and then he got mad saying you said the same thing. One thing led to another and I hit him. I know that was dumb, but he was making us sound like children. Then I told him he had no right to make me feel worse because I was the one who got raped and not him. I had no idea he didn't know everything from last night and I thought Dally told him. Now him and my brother are downstairs yelling."   
There was a long pause. "Jesus. I'm not mad but damn this day just keeps getting worse."   
I sighed "Tell me about it. The only thing I want to do right now is disappear and forget about everything."   
She chuckled a bit, "I would say we could run away, but I don't think our brothers are going to let us out of their sight for a while."   
I agreed. "I guess we will let things calm down before we hang out again. The last thing I want is Dally having a heart attack from all the stress I'm causing."   
She giggled this time. "Could you imagine both our brothers with gray hair just from putting up with us?" I laughed and told her I would call her later to see how Tim handles this.   
After I hung up, Dally walked in the room. He looked at me and shook his head, "Tim is pissed." I shouldn't have hit him, I knew this. But at this point, what could make anything worse? I looked down and played with the bed sheets.   
He sat next to me and pulled me close to him. "While I don't like you fighting, I was proud of you for standing up to Tim." He chuckled, "Ol' Tim had no idea that was coming. I thought his head was going to explode after you nailed him." I couldn't help but laugh as he said that.   
"Thank you for not saying anything to him. I know I kinda screwed it up, but at least I know I can trust you."   
He squeezed my shoulder, "You know I'd do anything for you kid." If he would've told me that a few weeks ago, I would've laughed in his face. But I think we needed to go through some shit to find each other again. Slowly, I fell back asleep in the arms of my brother.


	11. Chapter 11

Sage P.O.V.  
A few weeks had passed, and Dally was constantly on top of me. If I wasn’t with him, someone in the gang was by my side. I felt like a dog on a leash that was pulled back anytime they went too far. 

Today was one of those days were every single thing pissed me off. It started with Dally dragging me out of Bucks to the Curtis house because he had “things” to do. I’m pretty sure those things included that dumb broad Sylvia who I couldn’t stand. Once Dally dropped me off at my babysitters, Soda kept rambling on about his new girl Sandy and how freaking fantastic she was. This was my own fault for pushing him away when he wanted to help, but I thought he would’ve waited more than a few weeks before getting all wrapped up in a girl. Maybe he really only saw me as a friend, and I was the one who wanted more. This is another reason why us Winston’s don’t do love. It’s easier that way. 

From there the day seemed to only get worse. Two-bit was so hungover that he slept on the floor all day. Darry and Ponyboy kept arguing back and forth which led to Pony slamming his bedroom door. Steve, well Steve was always getting under my skin. I loved that kid, but man did he have a way of annoying the heck outta ya. Then there was Johnny. This boy could do no wrong and I loved him to death, but with him jumping at every little sound that came out of this house is what rubbed me the wrong way. I knew he couldn’t help it and I knew it was those damn Soc’s that made him that way. My anger was more at them than anything. 

The hours drug on with no end in sight. I snapped at Steve for getting cake all over me when he jumped up to yell at Soda for cheating at cards. He rolled his eyes and continued to fling his shit everywhere. 

I ended up having to get up and walk outside to smoke a few cancer sticks. Dally came sulking to the yard, looking madder than a bull. “What’s your problem?” He glared down at me and snapped, “That dumb broad was two timing me again. I swear she only does it to piss me off.” Sure enough, I saw his Christopher back in his possession and knew he had broken things off with her. Let’s hope it lasts. 

He sat down on the steps and took a drag from my cigarette. “Let’s go get drunk.” 

I smiled as he said that. “I have never heard a better idea.” 

He chuckled and stood up. “I’ll go tell the guys we are leaving.” 

As he went to tell me babysitters that they were relieved from their duty, I started walking down the street. Before too long, Dally jogged up beside me. “Someone is in a rush.” 

I shrugged my shoulders, “One of those days I guess.” He seemed to understand, and we walked the rest of the way to Buck’s in a comfortable silence. 

Just like any other night, a party was in full swing. Opening the door, you were hit with a smell of beer and smoke that was bound to be stuck in your hairs for days. We wiggled our way through the crowd of mostly greasers and made it to the bar. 

Buck handed us both a beer and shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of both Winston’s getting drunk under the same roof.” 

I smirked and Dally laughed, “She won’t do much damage.” They fell into a conversation as I scanned the bar. It was only about ten o’clock and nearly everyone in the bar was drunk or high. A decent amount was dancing to some Hank Williams Jr. while other played pool in the corner. 

My eyes stopped when I saw Sylvia sitting on guys lap, lips on his, acting like she didn’t just break Dally’s heart a few hours ago. That seemed to be the last straw for me on this god-awful day. I had to think this through though. I knew Dally would stop me before I close enough to do anything and the guys around her might get in the way. 

I looked around to see if anyone could help me out and saw Tim. I hadn’t talked to him since I broke his nose and I didn’t exactly know how he would react to me asking for help. But he was a pal of Dally’s and I needed to try. I turned to Dal and I said I was going to go talk to some friends as he waved me off. I walked over to Tim and as soon as he saw me, he shook his head. “What the hell do you want?” 

I smiled a sweet smile and said, “I need you to get Dallas out of here for a few minutes.” 

He looked confused and I glanced over to Sylvia. She still hadn’t seen me. He followed my glance and shook his head, “You have five minutes.” Before he walked off, he told his brother Curly and some other guy with him to watch over me. 

Curly looked at me confused and I said, “Just make sure the guys over there don’t come at me.” Before he could ask questions, I walked over to Sylvia and tapped on her shoulder. She looked up and rolled her eyes. “The hell you want kid?” The way she said “kid” only fueled the fire. 

I smiled at her and said, “You and I need to have a talk.” 

She looked me up and down and shook her head, “I think you are a little young to be in this bar. Go run along.” 

She turned her attention back to the guy she was with and I pulled her out of his lap. “What the hell?” Before she had the chance to say anything else, I slugged her across the face a few times.” 

The guy she was with tried to pull me off of her, but Curly and his friend stood in the way. I’ll have to thank Tim later. I hit her face a few more times as she connected with my lip once. It made me pause long enough for her to pull a blade out on me. I think she was trying to scare me, but all I could do was laugh.

Dally P.O.V.  
Tim drug me outside saying he needed to talk about our kid sisters, which was the last thing I wanted to do right now. “Hurry up, man. I came here to get drunk, not to get mad at the kids.” 

Tim laughed which was rare. “You ever think they are turning into us?” 

I shook my head and thought about it. Sage had a temper like me, but I don’t think she would do stupid shit for the hell of it. I went to answer him when I heard yelling coming from inside. “What the hell?” 

I went to walk back in, but Tim said to give it another minute. “Why?” 

He had that look in his eye when he knew something was going down and didn’t want to stop it. I thought back to his question and somehow knew it was Sage in there causing that commotion. “What did you let her do?” 

Tim smirked, “Honestly I am not sure. She just asked for a few minutes.” 

I shook my head and stormed inside. I looked around and saw a group of people crowded around the pool tables. I managed to push myself through and stopped when I saw Sylvia’s face bloody and bruised with a blade pointed at Sage. 

I felt a hand on my arm and saw Tim stopping me before I walked over there to stop it. “Just give her another minute. Curly is watching her.” 

I looked over and saw his kid brother standing between this guy and the two girls. Sage didn’t have her blade out, which I knew she had, but was laughing like a mad woman. 

Sage P.O.V.  
I stepped closer and said, “Dal is over there watching. I hope he sees how pathetic you really are.” 

Her eyes flickered over to where Dally was standing, and I took that moment of distraction and hit her wrist hard enough for the blade to drop. As I wrapped a hand round her throat, I slammed her into the pool table that was behind her and pulled out my blade, pointing it at her throat. 

I leaned into her ear and said, “You stay away from my brother or else I will skin you from the inside out. Do I make myself clear?” 

I tightened the hand that was on her throat and she whimpered out a yes. I got off of her, gave her one last look, and walked away. 

People backed away from me as I walked to the bar, knowing Dally was behind me. He grabbed my wrist and nearly drug me outside. Once it was just us, he asked what the hell I was thinking. 

I shrugged a shoulder, “I was thinking that if she wants to mess around with one Winston, she will have to deal with the other.” 

He was silent for a minute and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close for a hug. “I love you kid. Never forget that.” 

He pulled away and I saw Tim standing there with his hands in his pockets. “You’re a good kid. Consider us even.” Not that Dally would let him do anything to me, but I was worried about being on Tim’s bad side. 

Dally grabbed my chin and tilted my face up so he could get a better look at it. “She got you good.” 

I rolled my eyes, “Me? Did you see her?” 

He smirked, “Yeah. Never realized how ugly she was until now.” He ruffled my hair and said we would crash at the Curtis house tonight. “Wait until they hear this story.” He chuckled and walked off, waving bye to Tim.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
Sage P.O.V.  
All of the guys were at the house when we walked in. Dally told me to go sit on the couch while he went to grab a towel and some water. Darry, being the overprotective dad he was, rushed over to me and asked what happened. I shook my head and told him it was no big deal. I could hear Dally laughing from the kitchen and walked back in. 

Darry took the towel and water from him so he could clean up my lip while Dal told the story. “I don’t even know where to start. We were at Bucks having a good time, when Tim grabbed me and walked outside. Gave me some bullshit about needing to talk about the kids, which I of course believe with how stupid they both are.” 

I rolled my eyes and tuned out the rest of the story. It didn’t take long for Darry to clean me up and he was back in his armchair, listening to Dal. 

During the story, I could see Soda steal a few glances every now and then, probably realizing how crazy I really am. As hard as I try to not be like Dal, stories like this prove that I’m following in his footsteps. 

Two-bit and Steve couldn’t stop laughing when Dally finished the story. I looked over to Darry to see what his reaction was and saw a small smile playing at his lips. He wasn’t a big advocate for fighting, but I think he knew why I did it. 

Dally tries to play tough all the time, but a few of us see through it. No one can touch you if you don’t let them. “If you all thought that was tough, you should’ve seen her punch Tim a few weeks ago.” I turned my head to my brother so fast and he seemed to catch what he just said. 

A few days after that party, Dally dragged me back to this house and told everyone that Angela and I were jumped and need to keep an eye on me. Something about us pissing them off and them looking for revenge. I don’t remember exactly, but the guys bought it. Now all of them are looking at me, shocked, that I would punch Tim Shepard. 

Two-bit asked what made me punch him. I shook my head at my big mouth brother and said, “Angela and I got into some shit and he was trying to get me to flip on her. The conversation took a turn and I hit him. No big deal.” 

I could see Dally shake his head out of the corner of my eye. He wanted me to tell the gang what happened but confessing that I couldn’t save myself isn’t what I wanted to do. 

Soda tilted his head to the side and asked, “Is that way Tim had a broken nose?” 

Dally nodded his head and Steve shook his, “You are lucky your last name is Winston or else you would be dead in a ditch somewhere.” 

I chuckled at that, “Tim doesn’t scare me. He’s as big as a softie as Dal is.” Now that got them all laughing. No one, but maybe Johnny, has seen Dally’s soft side and saying Tim was like that pushed them over the edge. I looked at Dal who shot me daggers. He had a reputation to uphold and her I was bringing it down a few pegs. 

I got up and told them I was going for a smoke. Darry doesn’t like it when we smoke inside, although Dally normally does it when he’s at work. I stepped out into the cold, brisk air wishing I would’ve brought a jacket with me. I sat down on the steps and lit my cigarette, taking a few long drags. 

I thought about this last month and everything that has happened. I escaped so much in New York just to be thrown into more violence. Maybe having my friends back in my life helps cancel out the bad, but damn has it sucked. I was wrapped up in my thoughts when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and silently cursed myself when I saw who it was. “Didn’t mean to scare ya. Mind if I sit down?” 

I nodded my head at Soda and scooted over so he could sit on the steps with me. “Penny for your thoughts?” 

I smiled, “Just thinking about my time here.” I took a few more drags of my cancer stick and then put it out with my foot. 

He chuckled, “It’s been an interesting month, that’s for sure.” 

We sat in silence for a few minutes until I asked, “Why did you come out here?” 

He shrugged his shoulders, “I feel like you and I haven’t been in a good spot and I wanted to try and fix it. I miss having my best friend around. I know Steve does too.” 

Ever since the night I blew up on him, I have been pretty distant from him, which also meant Steve since they were always attached at the hip. I don’t think we will ever be where we were at before though. I’ve always had a crush on Soda, hell every girl this side of Oklahoma has a crush on him. But I always thought when the time was right, him and I would give it a go. I messed that up when I pushed him away the night I got raped and now he moved on.

I offered him a smile, “I just need some time, that’s all. Adjusting here hasn’t been easy and I think I need more time to figure things out.” 

He gave me a sad look but nodded his head. “Well, when you decide you’re ready to let us back in your life, we will be there.” 

He put a hand on my back and rubbed it. Memories from that night came flooding back his hand felt like the one from that soc. My heartbeat quickened and I stood up to break the contact. I couldn’t shake the feeling of his hands grabbing me, pushing me down, and forcing himself in me. 

Soda walked closer and I snapped, “Don’t touch me!” He stopped and looked confused. 

My hands were shaking at this point and I felt myself starting to sweat even though it was a cool night. The door opened from the house and I saw Dally run towards me with the rest of the guys looking on from the porch. He put his hands on my shoulders and asked what was wrong. All I could do was shake my head. I felt the tears starting to form and threatened to fall if I opened my mouth. 

Dally didn’t know what to think and turned to Soda to ask what he did. Soda shook his head, “We were just talking and then she started freaking out. I didn’t do anything, I swear.” 

And that was the scary part. All he did was touch my back and it was like I was reliving my nightmare. This whole time I was worried about turning into Johnny, but the scary thing is, I was worse than him. The damn soc was ruining my life and there was nothing I could do about it. 

Dally turned back to me and wrapped me in his arms which only led to the tears being released. He squeezed hard and whispered in my ear, “Shh baby, it’s okay. Calm down.” I took a few deeps breaths and managed to calm myself down enough where he felt it was okay to let go. 

He kept his hands on my shoulders when he asked if it had something to do with that night. I looked down and nodded my head. He cursed under his breath and told the guys we were going home. I stole a quick glance at all of them standing in the yard, looking at the scene unfolding in front of them. Looks of confusion, hurt, and worry were painted across their faces as we walked away from them. 

I had this feeling that things were only going to get worse from here. 

And I was right.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
Sage P.O.V.

I laid in bed for three days straight. Dally couldn’t get me to eat, shower, or talk for that matter. I knew I was driving him crazy, but I didn’t care about anything at this point. All I could think of was how I reacted to Soda’s touch. A guy that I have liked for as long as I can remember barely touched me and something in my mind flipped. What if I reacted this way every time? All hopes of me ever wanting a relationship was down the drain if I couldn’t get myself together. I was going down a tunnel and saw no way out. 

It was the afternoon of my third day of solitude and my endless thoughts of darkness and depression were interrupted by voices outside of the door. I heard Dally’s voice first, “She hasn’t gotten out of bed or eaten in three days, man. I don’t know what to do.” 

The other voice replied, “Angela has been the same way. Something snapped and she hasn’t been the same since.” The voice belonged to Tim. I knew it was wrong of me to be happy Angela was feeling the same way, but at least I knew I wasn’t the only one going crazy. 

Dally asked if he thought it would help if the two of us got together and tried to talk it out. I hadn’t spoken to Angela since the day I called her about running my mouth to Tim. The boys didn’t want us together in fears of what trouble we would find ourselves in next. I didn’t hear Tim’s voice anymore, but saw the door open with only Dally walking inside. Tim must have left, because Dally shut the door behind him. 

He came over and sat on the bed, pushing hair out of my face. “Baby girl, I need you to eat something for me. Any longer of this and I will have to take you to the hospital. You’ve lost some weight and don’t look too good.” 

I looked down at the bed sheets and didn’t say anything. He let out a frustrated sigh and said, “Tim and I think you and Angela need to talk things out with each other.” I looked back up to him and saw him staring down at me. I guess Tim did agree. I nodded my head and hope filled his eyes. This was the first time I have acknowledged him in the three days I’ve been in this bed. 

“I need you to shower and eat a little something and then we will head over to their house.” I let out a deep breath and sat up. Dally got off the bed and helped me stand. “I’ll go grab something from the Dingo. You want pancakes?” My stomach growled at the mention of my favorite food and he took that as I yes. “I’ll be back in a few.” 

He walked out and I made my way into the shower. I felt weak from not moving these last few days and I didn’t realize how far off I was until I looked in the mirror before stepping into the warm water. My cheek bones were more pointed than normal, my collarbone stuck out more, and my hair was greasy and matted. I hadn’t looked this bad since my last few months in New York. 

I took a quick shower and changed into some new clothes when Dally came back in with the food. He set it down on the bed and I scarfed it down in record time. Dally stood there and watched me probably thankful I was moving around again. 

Once I was done, we walked out of Buck’s bar and down the road to the Shepard house. Just like the Curtis’s, we walked straight in and saw Tim sitting on the couch with Curly. Tim looked me over and shook his head. I knew I looked lousy, but his disapproval only confirmed it. 

Curly let out a low whistle, “Damn. Tim wasn’t kidding when he said you had gone off the deep end like Ange.” Tim slapped the back of his head and told him to shut his trap. 

“Angela is upstairs.” I nodded my head and made my way up the stairs and down the hall to my friends’ room. I opened the door and saw her curled up in the bed, just like I was an hour ago. She sat up when she saw me and scooted over in the bed, allowing me to sit down. 

She stared at me and said, “Wow. You look like you’ve been through some shit.” 

I raised my eyebrows at her, “Me? You should look in the mirror sometime. You ain’t lookin too hot either.” We both stared at each other and started laughing. Wow, it felt good to actually laugh again. 

She asked me how I had been. I shook my head and leaned my back against the wall. I told her everything from the fight with Sylvia, how I had lost Soda to Sandy, and my breakdown. It felt good to get everything off my chest. How I had been thinking and how much I hated life right now. 

It didn’t surprise me when her story was similar to mine. “I was at a bon fire with my brothers and this guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to get out of there. I don’t know if it was the way he said it or the smell of alcohol on his breath, but I lost it. I ended up slugging him in the face, which of course got Tim involved. That poor guy had no idea what was coming for him. Since then I have been here, thinking about life and how much I don’t want to keep living it.”

That last part got to me. While I hadn’t been thinking about ending my life, a few more days in that bed and I probably would have found myself in the same spot. “We need to do something.” 

She looked at me and asked what I had in mind. I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know, but I need to get him back for all the shit he has caused me.” 

Angela thought for a moment and looked at me with a smile. I knew from the look she gave me that she thought of something good. “They love their cars; I say we start with cutting a few wires.” The ball started rolling from there and before we knew it, we had a whole list of things we were planning on doing to them. Part of me knew this was probably going to end poorly, but he has already taken so much from me.  
It was his turn to lose something. 

Angela ended up taking a shower and getting dressed. I helped brush out her tangled hair and we both sat there feeling like we had a purpose in life again. I know the guys only wanted us to talk things through and get through this slump, but what they didn’t know is that they just created two walking nightmares. 

Dally P.O.V.  
Tim had kicked Curly out so we could talk and that I wouldn’t kill him for the comment he made towards Sage. That kid was a miniature Tim, but he didn’t know when to shut up. We heard the girls start laughing and I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t seen her even smile since she beat up Sylvia. 

It got quiet in their room and Tim asked how I was doing. I rubbed the back of my neck, “Man I didn’t know how hard it would be raising my sister. Before I left her in New York, she was full of life. But something changed when she showed up here a month ago. All she told me was our dad was giving her a hard time, but it’s more than that. And now with everything that has happened here, I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel like I’m losing her.” 

Tim nodded his head. He wasn’t much for talking, but he was a good listener. I hadn’t seen what Angela looked like, but judging by the bags under Tim’s eyes, I’m sure she is just as bad as Sage. We heard the shower turn on and I could see Tim relax a little more. It wasn’t much longer when we saw the girls come down. 

I looked at our two sisters and even though they had both visibly lost weight, they still looked like the toughest greasers around. “Ya’ll good?” 

Sage gave me a smirk that I knew she picked up from me and said, “Better than ever.” Don’t get me wrong, I am over the moon that she is almost back to her normal self. But something in that smirk told me they were up to no good. 

Tim asked Angela if she was feeling better. I watched her flip her over her shoulder and smile, “I’m like a whole new person.” I saw Sage look at her and smile. I looked over at Tim and knew he was thinking the same thing. 

They both walked into the kitchen to grab some food and I asked Tim in a hushed voice, “What are they up to?” 

He shook his head, staring at them. “This might have been a bad idea.” I nodded my head in agreeance. I looked back to them and saw them whispering about something. Angela laughed and Sage shook her head smiling. 

Tim said, “Damn, Dallas. She looks just like you.” She did and that scared me like no other. I don’t know what they have planned, but I knew we were going to have to keep a close eye on them. Sage turned back around and saw me staring. She gave me a wink and I could help but shake my head and chuckle. 

This girl was going to be the death of me.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
Sage P.O.V.  
Angela and I wasted no time starting our plan of chaos. The only part of our plan that was a little flawed was that we didn’t know who our attackers were. Don’t get me wrong, his face haunts me every single night but without a name we couldn’t do much. The simple solution to that was declaring war on them all. 

Keeping what we were doing away from our brothers proved to be a little more challenging than we had originally thought. I guess the day Angela and I figured our shit out, our brothers knew we were up to no good. 

It was three days after we made our master plan and I decided I needed to know more about cars if I wanted to know how to really mess them up. I could race them better than anyone out here, but I had zero clue what made them run. 

I had gotten ready to leave Buck’s when Dally came out of the shower stopping me by the stairs. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

It took everything in my power not to roll my eyes at him, “I thought I would go down to the DX and hang with Soda and Steve for a while.” He didn’t give my answer a second thought and told me to stay with them and not wonder off. I didn’t know if he was still on edge from the party that went wrong, or he was trying to keep me out of trouble. Either way, he let me walk past him and out the door. 

The sun felt nice on my skin as I walked down the road to the DX. I enjoyed the solitude and the peacefulness around me, while also keeping an ear out for any deep rumbling of a mustang. I got to the DX quicker than I would’ve wanted, but I told myself I was here for a reason. 

The quicker I learned what cut wires caused the most damage, the quicker Angela and can get on with our lives. We were clinging onto this notion that getting back at any soc who crossed our path, would help us keep from spiraling again. If we kept our mind focused on how we are seeking revenge and what was next on our list, we didn’t have time to think about everything that was wrong in our lives. 

I walked into the garage to see Steve under a car and Soda sitting on the counter bobbing his head to the music that was playing on the radio. I hadn’t seen the gang since my meltdown, but I knew Dally told them some made up story on why I lost my shit. The only people who knew the whole story from the party was Dally and Tim. 

Soda saw me walk in and gave me his Hollywood smile. “Hey darlin. Haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?” He got off the counter and came to give me a hug. 

“I’m doing better. Happy Dal let me out of the house.” 

Steve rolled out from under the car. “Yeah he said things back in New York weren’t the best for you and you had some sort of panic attack.” So, New York was the direction he went. That was simple enough to play along with. 

“Yeah. Dal leaving wasn’t the best thing for me.” It wasn’t a lie. My life went to complete crap once my brother left, but I could never tell him that. I’ve already stressed him out with things here, he would go off the deep end if he found out about Mark. A shiver went down my spine just thinking about him and Soda saw. He pulled me into another hug and squeezed me tight. 

“Hey it’s alright. You get to start over here and leave all of that behind. Don’t be thinkin about the past.” Easier said than done, especially since my start over here hasn’t been the greatest. 

He let go and I offered him a smile. “Thanks Soda.” I turned to Steve who had been watching us the whole time. “I want to learn more about cars.” 

He laughed and asked me why. “Well I figure since I race them, I might as well know how it runs. Plus, it’s been a while since we all have hung out.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Alright. Let’s start with under the hood. 

We spent the next few hours going over each piece of the car and what it did. Soda sat on the counter, occasionally pumping some gas for the people who trickled in all afternoon. Overall, it was a slow day for them, but I learned more than I could’ve hoped for. 

Angela happened to walk by the DX a little before closing and came over when she saw me. “Your brother let you off your leash?” 

I smirked, “Something like that. Where’s Tim?” She looked over her shoulder and saw him talking with some people in his gang. 

“I think you should tell him you’re coming back to Buck’s with me and I’ll tell the two inside the same thing.” She gave me a rebellious smile and nodded. 

I walked over to the two boys who were closing up and I said I would meet them later. “I told Dal I would be back around dinner time.” They nodded their heads and I walked out with Angela. 

“We good?” She smiled, “Tim has no idea.” 

We walked down the road towards Buck’s to make them think that’s where we were going but turned down the road to head to the south side when we were out of sight. 

“I spent the day with Steve learning about cars and know what things we need to pull and cut.” 

She threw her head back and laughed, “This is going to be so much better than what I hoped for.” We walked the rest of the way talking about any and everything until we crossed the train tracks and saw the giant houses. 

Dally’s P.O.V.  
I walked into the Curtis house and saw Steve and Soda sitting on the couch, watching Mickey with Two-bit. “Where’s Sage?” 

Soda answered without looking up from the TV, “Her and Angela went to Buck’s. Said she needed to get back or something.” 

I clenched my fists and mumbled, “Be back later.” I let her out of my sight for one minute and she goes running of with Shepard’s kid sister. I knew they were up to something and I had kept her close these last few days hoping she would drop it. Clearly, I underestimated her. I was walking down the road and had no idea where to start looking. The two of them could find trouble in a church on Sunday so, they could be anywhere. 

I decided to walk to Shepard’s house and see if he knew anything. He was standing outside his house with Curly, getting onto him about something. I had zero concerns about interrupting them. “Where the hell is your sister?” 

Tim looked over to me and shook his head, “Said she was going to Buck’s with Sage.” As soon as he said it out loud, he knew she lied to him. “God dammit.” 

Curly snuck away from us, knowing it wouldn’t end up well for him if he stayed. “Do you know what they are up to? Sage spent the day at the DX, and I know she hasn’t talked to Angela since they met up.” 

Tim shook his head, “I let her come with me because I didn’t want her sneaking out of the house. They must have saw the opportunity and took it.” 

It was my turn to shake my head and started walking off, “If you find her, don’t let her out of your sight.” I didn’t wait for Tim to agree before I started walking towards the town to try and look for them. 

The sun was starting to set, and I was starting to get more worried about them getting jumped again than what they were up to. Sage had a blade on her and the two of them know how to fight. But I also thought the same thing when I let her go to that party. After about an hour of aimless walking around, I decided to go to the Curtis house and wait to see if she shows up there.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
Sage P.O.V  
It was well after sunset and Angela and I managed to tag four different cars. She slashed two of the car’s tires while I slid under my two and used my blade to make holes in things and cut various wires. 

I know what we were doing was illegal, but we both had the biggest smiles on our faces the whole time. I can see why my brother was always in and out of the cooler. The adrenaline rush you get from things like this is like nothing I have ever felt before. 

We decided starting with four cars was enough and didn’t push our luck. We silently walked back to our side of town, sticking to the shadows until we crossed the tracks. Once we were out of sight from the land of the soc, we couldn’t help but laugh at what we just did. 

We were all smiles until I saw Tim walking towards us. We both stopped. “Oh shit.” Angela tensed up next to me as we continued to walk towards him. 

He looked pissed. And not his normal pissed off look, but one that told me we were both in for it. He looked at Angela and slapped her, shocking us both. “You and I will be having a nice conversation when we get back.” 

He looked at me and I held my chin high with an arrogant look on my face. If he was going to slap me, he would get a fist to the face right back. It looked like he was internally debating on what to do. He settled with shaking his head and saying, “Winston you are lucky Dally is just as pissed as I am.” 

I snorted, “All we did was go for a walk and you are acting like we killed someone. Who knew one of the toughest greasers in town would crack because his kid sister was out of his sight for a few hours?” 

I saw his hand twitch and I secretly wanted him to hit me. After messing up those cars, I had this reckless feeling where I was looking for trouble. “Walk to the Curtis house now.” I rolled my eyes at him and started walking forward. 

I didn’t see Curly and one of his friends walk up, but Tim told them to take Angela home, leaving me and Tim alone. We walked in silence for what seemed like hours until he said, “You aren’t like your brother. Stop trying to act like him.” 

I let out a non-amused laugh, “I hate to break it to you, but this ain’t acting.” He glared at me and shook his head. We walked the rest of the way in silence. 

Once we made it to the Curtis house, I went to open the gate, but Tim told me to wait outside. Not wanting to make a scene, I listened. I watched him walk through the door and come out a minute later with Dal. 

Tim had more restraint when it came to what he said and did. Dally, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. And man was I looking forward to it. He stormed up to me and grabbed my arm to keep me from going anywhere. “Where in the hell were you? Did I not tell you to stay with Steve and Soda?” 

I rolled my eyes which only angered him more. He slapped me, just like Tim slapped Angela and I was waiting for it. 

The thing is, dad hit me all the time no matter what I did. I could breathe in his direction and the man would snap. I can’t tell you why, but I was so damn afraid of him to the point where I put up with his abuse for years. Dallas doesn’t scare me like dad did. All those years I was too scared to fight back, but that person is gone. 

Before he could react, I swung my fist at his face connecting with his jaw. His eyes were the color of ice but there was nothing except fire dancing in them. Darry ran out of the house and stood in front of us before we could do anything else. 

Last time we fought like this it didn’t end well. Winston’s don’t lose and we don’t know when to stop.

Soda’s P.O.V.  
Dally had been on edge ever since he came back. I think it had something to do with Sage, but he wouldn’t say. I hope that girl stays out of trouble for her own good. 

Dally isn’t one to show any feelings besides anger and hatred, but ever since Sage came back into our lives, he’s changed. Him and Darry got closer. I think it has to do with trying to raise their siblings, but Dally looked like he wasn’t doing too hot. 

Something has been going on with Sage ever since Two-bit brought her back beat up after that party. She has been acting more and more like her brother and I think we all noticed it. She doesn’t hang out with Steve and I much anymore, let alone the rest of the gang. I just wish she would open up and trust us more. But I guess that goes against everything Winston’s stand for. 

Tim walked in out of nowhere and told Dally he needed him outside. We knew they have a history of fighting with each other, so we all got up to look out the window in case he needed our help. 

To my surprise, Sage was standing outside our gate with a smirk on her face. I am sure she picked that up from Dally. We couldn’t hear anything except Dal yelling at her on where she had been. 

I could see the sass radiating off of her as she rolled her eyes at him. I knew Dally had a temper and with how he has been acting these last few hours, I knew she pushed him over the edge. 

We all tensed up as we saw him slap her. But without missing a beat, she punched him in the jaw. It was almost like she was wanting it to happen. 

Darry cursed under his breath and told us to stay inside. He ran out the door and stood in between the siblings as Tim held Sage back. 

Two-bit let out a low whistle. “I never thought I’d see the day where Dally would lose at his own game.” 

I knew what he meant. Sage was the female version of Dally when she was angry. Honestly, I think she scared us more than ol’ Dal did, but we would never tell him that. How she held herself showed that she was afraid of no one, not even the two toughest greasers in town. 

Tim was losing his hold on her, but Darry saw it coming. He grabbed her arms so fast I thought she would tumble over from the sudden jerk. 

Sage P.O.V.  
Darry had a death grip on my arms, and I knew it was pointless fighting him. 

Dally ran his hands through his hair and yelled, “I can’t do this anymore! I didn’t ask to raise a kid and you sure as hell aren’t making anything easy. I’m done. Do what you want with your life just stay the hell out of mine!” 

He walked away without giving me a second glance. Darry yelled at him to get back here but all he said was, “Ship her back to New York for all I care.” 

His words hit me to the core. I was shocked to the point where I couldn’t move. Dally knew what our dad did to me. It wasn’t like I ran away for the hell of it. And don’t get me started on Mark. Going back to New York meant I was signing my death warrant. 

Tim stood in front of me and said, “He didn’t mean it kid. You know how he is. Give him a few days.” And then he walked off just like my brother did. 

There was a ringing in my ears, and I couldn’t stop shaking. I was vaguely aware Darry was trying to talk to me, but the only thing I could hear was my brothers’ words playing over and over in my head. 

Once Darry realized I wasn’t going to move, he picked me up and took me inside. I saw the looks of pity on all of the boys faces, but I was too numb to even care. Darry took me to his room, laid me on the bed, and closed the door. I curled up in a ball as he sat on the edge of the bed. 

“I need you to tell me what happened. And I’m not talking about just tonight, but since that party.” I looked down at the bed and gripped the sheets as tight as I could. 

My brother wants nothing to do with me. None of my family gives a damn about me. At this point why should I even care about me? This must have been how Angela felt when she said she didn’t want to live anymore. When there is no one to live for, what is the point in even trying? 

Darry grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Baby girl I need you to let me in. I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.” 

I quietly said, “You can’t help me. No one can.” He scooped me up in his arms and placed me in his lap. 

I felt the first tear fall and knew I couldn’t stop it. The tears soon turned into waterfalls running down my face. Sobs escaped my mouth and Darry held me tighter. He was trying to calm me down, but I knew it was a wasted effort. 

They say everyone has a breaking point and I thought I hit mine back in New York. But what was happening now showed me I was wrong. I could work my way through the hell I went through back then, but right now I wanted nothing more than for everything to simply end.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
Sage P.O.V.

It took a few hours, but I finally manage to calm down enough where Darry felt like he could let me go. I don’t give Darry enough credit. He may be up tight with everyone, but he would drop everything going on in his life to help anyone in the gang. Especially an emotionally broken girl like me. 

It was times like these that I wished I grew up with Darry as my brother, and not Dally. Dally is great for having my back and protecting me, but it kills him to show any shred of emotion. Tonight, proved that he would rather throw his family away just so he didn’t have to worry about anyone but himself.

Darry’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Something has been going on with you and I want to help. But you are going to have to let me in.” 

I nodded my head because I did need to tell someone how I was feeling and what I’ve been through. It was almost like I wanted to prove I wasn’t mentally crazy for the stunts I have pulled since I’ve been here. “The night Two-bit brought me here, Angela and I was raped.” I looked down at the bed while I let him process that piece of information. 

I knew if I looked at him and saw the pity on his face, I would shut down. It went against everything I was taught, to let people in like this. While he was silent, I went ahead and explained the whole story, since I knew the questions would soon follow. I told him about that night, why I had the panic attack in their front yard, how I didn’t get out of bed for half a week, and everything Angela and I did and were planning to do. The words kept coming out and the more they did, the lighter my chest felt. Angela is the only other one who knows all of this information, but she was just as broken as I was. We were each other’s tape. We could hold the broken pieces together, but it was bound to break eventually. By the time I was done explaining everything, Darry was tense. I wasn’t sure if it was because of everything that has happened, or my plan to fix my life by making other’s lives hell. 

Since I had no words left for him, I looked up to see what his face could tell me. He was staring across the room with his eyebrows pulled together, lost in thought. I lightly placed my hand on his wrist to bring him back to the moment. He looked down at me and shook his head. “I don’t know where to begin. No one should have to go through any of that. And your brother knows all of this, so why did he leave you tonight?” 

I played with my hands and said, “I kept pushing his buttons. I knew if I acted a certain way, said certain things, he would snap. I can’t explain why I wanted to start a fight with him again, but I knew what I was doing when it happened. I pushed him too far and he was done.” 

Darry rubbed the back of his neck while he thought of how to answer that. “I know your brother isn’t the best person to talk to about all of these things, but I wish you would’ve come to one of us before it got this bad. You know any of us would have been there for you.” 

All I could do was nod my head at that. He was right. I had six guys out there that would’ve done anything they could’ve to help me stay out of this dark place I have found myself in. But instead I turned to my hopeless brother knowing I would be met with disappointment. 

Darry told me he needed to tell the guys to let them know what was going on, because he knew if he left it to me it would never get told. “Get some rest and we will start new tomorrow.” He got up from the bed and said he would be in later. “Holler if you need anything.” I nodded my head and he kissed my cheek. “Dally may know show it, but he loves you more than you know. It’ll work out.” And with that he walked out of the room to leave me with my thoughts. 

Did Dally actually love me? Maybe at one point when we were younger, but he left me with dad and to face everything horrible that came at me in New York. If my brother had been there, I might not have met Mark. I wouldn’t have gone through all of the emotional and physical abuse from different people all those years. Maybe if my brother had been there I wouldn’t be as broken as I am now. My thoughts slowly faded as I fell into a dreamless sleep. 

I woke up to Darry snoring lightly next to me. The clock read 3:45 am and I knew no one would be up at this hour. I silently slipped out of bed, grabbed my jacket, and tiptoed through the house out the front door. I saw Steve passed out on the couch and Two-bit spread out on the floor in the shape of a star. I didn’t see how he was comfortable like that, but he was probably drunk when he fell asleep. 

I shut the front door as quietly as possible and sat on the porch to look up at the stars. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I wasn’t here. Dallas wouldn’t have to worry about what his little sister was doing and could focus on himself. He made a life here without me and I barged in expecting him to be welcoming. I was delusional to think my brother would want me back after all these years. I wouldn’t be bumming it at the Curtis house. For Darry I am just another mouth to feed and expense added to his long list of bills. I could get a job to pay him back, but who would hire a Winston? 

Then there is Soda. I thought him and I might have had something at one point, but I pushed him away into the arms of Sandy. And from what I heard from the guys; she is a bitch, but he is head over heels for her. Maybe if I hadn’t have pushed him away, he wouldn’t have fallen for the wrong girl. Who am I kidding? I am the wrong girl for him and need to let him live his life. 

I was so lost in my endless tunnel of thoughts that I didn’t hear the front door open. A blanket was draped over my shoulders and I very tired Sodapop sat down next to me. “What are you doing out here, Sage?” 

I shrugged my shoulders. I really had no idea why I came out into the cold instead of staying in bed. “Needed some fresh air, I guess. Why are you up?” 

He sighed, “I needed some water and looked out the window to see you freezing your butt off out here. I figured you could use a blanket.” 

I nodded my head at his response and looked back out into the empty road. We sat in silence for a few minutes until he asked, “Are you okay?” 

I let out a slow, deep breath and shook my head. “No. But one day I will be.” Or at least I hope so. Right now, it looks like life wants to strangle me until I have no more breath to give. Let’s hope I have enough fight in me to break away from its grip. 

Soda wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into his chest. We sat, cuddled up under the blanket when he started to talk again. “I knew something was going but didn’t know how to ask. You and your brother can be scary at times.” I felt his chest move as he chuckled. “Steve said we needed to take you out like we used to, but when you came to the DX, we figured you might have gotten out of this funk. We thought we might be getting our best friend back, but after what went down with you and Dal and what Darry told us, I knew you were still lost. Why didn’t you come to us for help?”

I shook my head, “Everyone has their own lives and problems to deal with. Throwing mine in there was not something anyone needed.” 

He cut me off, “You needed it though. Do you know how much it would hurt losing you for good? I already lost my parents; I can’t lose you too.” 

I felt a tear slip away from my eye. “You have Sandy. You have the gang. You would be okay without me.” 

He turned to face me and pulled my face up to his. “Don’t talk like that! You brought a new happiness to the gang when you came back. Steve got his best friend back, Dal has stayed out of trouble since the moment you arrived, Pony and Johnny felt like their sister walked back into their lives, Darry has been happier with you around, Two-bit finally has someone to joke around with 24/7, and I got the love of my life back.” 

I froze when he said that last part. “What did you just say?” 

He gave me a lazy smile. “You heard me.” He pulled my face into his and gently put his lips on mine. There was a hesitation, like he was making sure it was okay. But when I didn’t pull away, he deepened the kiss. It was at that moment when everything felt like it was going to be fine. I never knew how much I needed Sodapop, but this kiss told me he was the glue that would hold my life together. 

I pulled back suddenly when a thought ran through my head. “What about Sandy?” 

He looked down and shook his head. “She got pregnant with someone else’s kid and her parents are forcing her to move to Florida. We broke up a few days ago.” 

“Oh Soda! I’m so sorry! You didn’t deserve that.” 

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled. “It’s okay. I needed to lose her to gain you. It’s always been you.” 

He kissed my forehead and stood up. “We need to get back inside before we catch a cold.” He helped my speechless self-up and brought me back inside. Everyone was still sound asleep when we walked back in. Soda kissed my cheek and told me he would see me in the morning. I watched him climb up the stairs and heard his door shut before I followed suit and went back to Darry’s room. 

Luckily, he was still fast asleep when I snuck back into the bed. I fell asleep with the feeling of hope that life might be taking a turn for the better. 

I will soon find out that I was naive to even think that.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
Sage P.O.V.

I woke up to the smell of bacon and voices coming from the living room. I rolled out of bed and threw my hair into a messy bun and walked out to see who all was still here. Soda and Steve were wrestling on the floor. Two-bit had a beer in his hand and eyes glued to Mickey on tv. Darry was in the kitchen cooking breakfast and somewhere in there I heard Pony and Johnny had gone to the lot. 

I quietly made my way into the living room, careful to avoid the two boys rolling around. Darry saw me sit on the couch and told me good morning. Soda looked up from the floor where Steve had him pinned and gave me his famous smile. “Mornin’ pretty lady. How’d you sleep?” 

I couldn’t help but smirk at him as he came to sit next to me. “Pretty good actually.” 

Steve walked into the kitchen to grab some cake as I threw my legs on top of Soda. It was Sunday and all the boys had off which meant some sort of trouble was going to go down today. 

I started to think about last night and Sandy’s face popped into my mind. Soda gave her everything he had. Hell, he even talked about marrying her at one point and she went and cheated on him. Who in the hell does this bitch think she is? 

Soda asked me what I was thinking about. “Just my brother. Hey, did Sandy already leave for Florida?” He shook his head and said she was leaving next week, not giving much thought to why I asked. I. nodded my head and knew I was going to pay her a little visit. That way I can give her a small going away gift. 

Without trying to seem too eager to get out of the house, I casually got off the couch and headed to the front door. Soda asked where I was going. 

“To see what Pony and Johnny are up to.” He gave me a weird look and I slipped on my jacket. I was almost to the door when Soda yelled out, “Steve stop her before she leaves!” 

I tried to reach for the handle and felt two arms pull me back. Darry stopped what he was doing and Two-bit looked up from the tv. “What is going on?” Darry asked from the kitchen. 

I shook my head, “Soda is being ridiculous and is stopping me from hanging out with Pony and Johnny.” 

Soda shook his head, “You sure you weren’t about to go look for Sandy?” I looked down and Steve chuckled, “As much as I would love to see you hurt Sandy like you did Sylvia, I don’t think getting thrown in the cooler was on our to do list today.” 

I huffed as he dragged me back to the couch, throwing me down onto Soda. Soda threw an arm around my shoulder, probably to keep me from leaving. “I appreciate the thought, but she is history. I don’t want to think about her anymore.” I

nodded my head and knew I would have to wait until he was at work to do something. Two-bit pointed his beer at me, “Sometimes I think you are this nice, fun gal. But then times like these reminds me that you can be worse than Dally.” I knew I shouldn’t take pride in that, but I couldn’t help but let a small smile slip on my face. He took a swig of his beer and turned back to the tv. 

I asked Soda and Steve what they planned on doing today. Steve sat down on the other side of me and said, “There is a party going down at Bucks tonight. Supposed to be one of the biggest of the summer.” 

Darry told us we could all go but to be safe. “I don’t have the money to be bailing anyone out of jail today.” He looked at me and I rolled my eyes. Man did they have little faith in me. 

The day went by quickly and soon we were out the door on the way to Buck’s. Darry didn’t let Pony and Johnny come, so it was me, Soda, Two, and Steve. They were amped up, talking about all the girls that were going to be there as Soda threw an arm around my shoulder. He whispered in my ear, “No girls there have anything on you.” 

I couldn’t help but blush and shook my head. Steve gave us a quick glance and smirked. “So, you two finally together?” 

I raised my eyebrows at him, “Why? You jealous you couldn’t land Sodapop on your own?” Two-bit cracked up at that and Steve glared at me, flipping me off as he walked ahead of us. 

Soda chuckled, “You should apologize. I think you hurt his feelings.” 

I rolled my eyes, “You know Winston’s don’t believe in that kind of thing.” Soda shook his head and gave me a carefree smile as we continued walking down the road. We were a few blocks from Buck’s when I saw my friend walking towards us. Soda saw her first and shook his head, “Here comes trouble.” 

I slapped his shoulder and walked over to her. “Tim let you out of his sight?” 

She shrugged her shoulders, “He gave me ten minutes to get to Buck’s or else he is sending a bounty hunter after me.” 

I looked over to the three boys who stopped to wait for us. “We will be right behind you.” 

Two-bit shook his head, “I don’t think that’s too hot of an idea. We are almost there anyway.”   
“Yeah which means we will be there in a few. We just need to talk. Come on, guys. Don’t be like our asshole brothers.” Soda and Two were hesitant to answer, but Steve did me a solid. 

“Give them the five minutes and then if they don’t show up, we will send Tim after them. What can they possibly do in five minutes?” I gave him a smile and the other two boys reluctantly nodded their heads. Soda gave us a look before they walked off that told us to keep our heads down. 

Once they were out of ear shot, Angela chuckled and shook her head, “Steve was right. What could we do in five minutes?” 

To answer that question, we could do a lot in five minutes. We can do things that will change our lives in the matter of seconds. But we were all too clueless to know that.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
Sage P.O.V.  
Angela and I were walking down the road to Buck’s, as she started telling me what went down after our late-night adventure the other night. “Tim flipped out. Started saying things like I shouldn’t want to be like him and that I was going to end up in the cooler if I stay on this path. I never said I wanted to be like him, but I think we deal with things the same way. And that’s what’s getting to him. But who can blame me? Tim has been my so called ‘role model’ my whole life. Not too sure how he expected things to be different.” 

I agreed with her. Dallas has rubbed off on me more than I would like to admit, but sometimes it works to my advantage. Everyone around here knows not to mess with me and soon the Soc’s will understand that as well. 

She asked me if Dallas and I had talked. I shook my head, “He basically walked off saying I can go die in New York and he wouldn’t care.” I gave off a nonchalant tone, but there was still an ache in my chest hearing those words out loud. 

“Yeah, well fuck him. He and Tim don’t know how to treat their own. Hell, Tim gets proud anytime Curly ends up in the cooler. But the second I stand up for myself, he flips shit.” I offered her a smile, but it dropped the second I heard the rumble of a mustang behind us. I looked back and saw it was creeping up on us. “Shit.” I mumbled. 

We were still a block from Buck’s and had only been a few minutes behind the guys. I knew the music would be too loud in the bar for anyone to hear us yell for help. 

Angela smirked, “We can take them.” I told the boys we would stay out of trouble, but if trouble came to us there was nothing we could do. I felt my back pocket to make sure my switch was still there and felt the familiar touch of the cool blade. We had stopped at this point and welcomed the fight, waiting for however many of them to come out of the clown car. 

To my surprise, only two of them stagger out of the car and walked to us, flask in hand. My heart dropped when the face that attacked me those weeks ago was among the two. Angela had visibly frozen up as well, making me realize that we were both royally screwed. As they walked closer, we started walking backwards into the alley behind us. The voice that haunted my dreams snapped my attention to him, “Well if it isn’t the two greaser sluts. How about a round two tonight?” 

I saw Angela reach for her blade out of the corner of my eye and heard her mumble, “I’m going to kill him.” I thought back to the night when everything happened and knew both her and Dallas wanted to kill these guys. There was no doubt in my mind that she was serious about it which should have been my first indication to run. Instead, I pulled out my blade as well and held my breath as our two attackers continued forward. 

My back hit the wall and I started thinking of ways to get out of this mess. If we stalled long enough, Tim or the gang will come looking for us. Then they could deal with these guys and we could continue on to the party like nothing happened. But knowing me, that wouldn’t happen. 

Seeing him again ripped opened that wound that had just began to heal. Walking away like nothing happened isn’t a possible option for me. The nightmares are going to start again, the panic attacks, any chance of me having a normal relationship with Soda is out the door. Everything I worked towards this past month would be for nothing if we simply walked away. 

The second his all too familiar hand touched me, I lost it. He had tried to grab my shoulder and I pulled my blade out so fast, he had no idea it was coming. The next part seemed to all be a blur. I had a faint awareness that what I was doing was wrong, but what he did to me was worse. He took my sanity and threw it out the door like it was nothing to him. My life had turned upside down at the simple fact that he just wanted to have a good time no matter what the cost. 

When my senses came back to me, I looked down and saw a motionless body lying on the cold, hard ground. Angela had dropped her blade and whispered, “Oh fuck.” I tore my eyes from the lifeless body in front of me and saw she had done the same thing. 

Angela Shepard and Sage Winston had killed two Soc without a second thought. 

My hands were shaking, and I looked down to see blood on my shirt. I had enough wit about me to know it wasn’t mine and we needed to leave, now. “Grab your blade and let’s go. We are going to head to the party like nothing happened and when we get there, head straight to Dally’s room. Do not look at anyone. Don’t not talk to anyone. And do not stop for any reason. Understood?” 

She nodded her head, slowly and picked up the blade. Her eyes never left the guy in front of her and I knew she was on the verge of a break down. Hell, I was too but I wasn’t going to let us get caught. I slapped her lightly across the face to get her to snap out of it. “Get it together! Or we are both going to end up in the cooler for murder!” 

She shook her head and I saw her eyes become more focused. “Let’s go.” I followed her out of the alley and headed back to Buck’s. Neither of us said a word on the short walk and stopped to take a breath before we walked into the ever-alive bar. 

“Keep your head down.” I reminded her. She gave me a short nod and pushed open the door. We both kept our heads down, eyes to the ground, and made our way through the packed crowd.

Dally’s P.O.V.  
I saw part of the gang show up and was surprised when Sage wasn’t with them. Tim had walked over and asked if I had talked to my sister. I shook my head, “Nah man. I’m giving her some space after what I said. I don’t need her beating my head in, ya know?” 

Tim nodded his head and saw Soda, Steve, and Two-bit. “Sage isn’t with them.” It was more of a statement than a question, but I shook my head. “Doesn’t look like it.” 

Tim kept scanning the crowd and had his eyes locked on the front door. “You waitin’ for some chick to walk in?” 

Tim shook his head, “Angela was a few minutes behind me and isn’t here yet.” I took a drag of my cancer stick and made eye contact with Two-bit. He looked nervous but walked over to us anyway. “Why do you look like you know something?” 

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Ah nothing. Just umm waiting for a friend, that’s all.” 

Tim had moved his eyes from the door to Two-bit’s stuttering ass. “You see Angela on your way here?” 

Two-bit looked like he was about to piss himself. “Yeah she was a few minutes behind us.” 

I put out my cigarette and stood up, “Sage not come with you?” 

Two-bit looked down, “Yeah she is coming. She umm needed to do something first. Should be here any minute.” Before I could ask him what he meant, he practically ran from us. I raised my eyebrows in confusion. “The hell is his problem?” 

Tim shrugged his shoulders and cursed when he saw the door open. I looked to where he was looking and saw both of our sisters walk in with their heads down. 

“Jesus Christ. What did they do this time?” Tim and I had our gaze locked on them as they walked through the crowd, nearly unseen. They headed up the stairs and I assumed to my room. Once they were out of sight, Tim said he was going to give them a few minutes before he walked up there.

I took his lead and went to the bar to order a few shots, knowing I was going to need them to deal with whatever shit the two got themselves in.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
Sage P.O.V.

Angela and I got into my brothers’ room and locked the door behind us. By some miracle we made it in here without any of the guys seeing us. While that may not work in our favor later on if they go searching for us, for right now all I could do was be thankful for this little bit of solitude. 

Angela was pacing back and forth mumbling under her breath about how we were so screwed. She might not have been wrong, but I refused to think about that right now. I stood in the middle of the room with my hands on the top of my head, debating on what our next move is. If no one saw us, we could pretend like nothing happened and hope to fly under the radar when an investigation starts up. But could we act like everything was fine? I would like to think I could hold myself together for this, but I wouldn’t bet on it. 

Angela blurted out what my mind was about to say, “We need to run.” She was still pacing, thinking over how we would pull that off. 

“What about our brothers?” She shook her head, “If we leave now, maybe we could get a head start.” Dally and Tim would know what to do in this situation, but with the shit Angela and had pulled this last week, I don’t think they are going to be in a helping mood. What about Soda? Jesus I just managed to get on good terms with him and here I am throwing it away like everything else in my life. 

The jiggling of the door handle pulled me out of my thoughts. Dally’s voice came through the door, “Open the door, Sage.” 

We both froze. I looked to the window behind me and thought about making the two story drop to get away, but I couldn’t leave Angela behind. Now there was banging at the door. “Open this damn door before I tear it down.” If he draws too much attention up here, people might think something happened. 

Angela looked at me with the same understanding and I went to open the door. Our two brothers walked in and closed the door behind them. Both sets of eyes looked us up and down, checking to see if we were alright. I didn’t stop to think about taking my shirt off and changing into one of my brothers. But here we are, standing in the middle of his run-down room with someone else’s blood staining our shirts. We must’ve looked like zombies with how much blood was covering us. 

Tim, in a very low voice, asked what happened. Neither one of us had the guts to tell them what we did. How do you even bring that into conversation? Hey guys, how are you? We killed these soc on the way here, but ready to party now. I shook my head at the thought. I was losing my god damn mind and it had only been 10 minutes since I killed the poor kid. 

When neither of us answered, Dally stepped closer and lifted a hand to move my hair out of my face. I flinched at the raised hand, making him stop for a moment and then continue. He must have saw the wild look in my eye because he told Tim to lock the door. Tim gave him a questioning look but did as he said. 

Dally asked in a quiet voice what happened. I looked at Angela, not knowing what to do. I emotionally couldn’t handle my brother yelling at me right now and he and Tim already looked like they wanted to kill someone. 

He cupped my face and turned to make me look at him. “Whose blood is on you? Is it yours?” I slowly shook my head no and could see him tense up. “Kid, I need you to tell me what happened so we can fix this.” 

I looked down and shook my head, “You can’t fix this.” It was true. How was he going to bring a person back to life? Scratch that, two people back to life. Angela said she was going to be sick and ended up puking in the bathroom. 

Tim and Dally were beyond confused at what was going on. Two guys who found it next to impossible to show any emotions were trying to figure out how to handle two teenage girls on the verge of a breakdown. I stepped back from Dally’s reach and started pacing like Angela was doing earlier. Part of me knew I was driving my brother insane, but I needed to figure out what to do. Last I heard from my brother, he wanted nothing to do with me and that’s exactly how I plan on treating this. His words played in my head. “You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt.” Time to use those words against him. 

“Nothing happened that we can’t handle. As much as we appreciate the half ass concern you both are giving us, we don’t need it.” Dally looked taken aback at my statement and I saw Angela walk out of the bathroom with her head held a little higher. She was on board with what I was doing. If I could push the two of them away from us, we could plan our escape. My brother didn’t want me here anyway, so what was the harm in running away? 

“I don’t know what the hell is going on, but that is too much blood for it to be any good.” I waved a hand at him, “It is nothing I haven’t had to handle on my own before. And seeing that you would rather me out of your sight, that is exactly what we plan to do.” I was lying through my teeth. Another thing I picked up from my brother. I had zero experience in dealing with murder, but I may as well twist the knife I put in my brother. 

His face was emotionless as he turned around and walked out the door. Tim had stood there for a moment, taking both of us in, debating on what to do. Tim wasn’t irrational like Dallas and wasn’t going to make an impulsive decision. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a few hundred dollars. “Take this. Dally has a heater in one of those drawers. I don’t know what the two of you did but I assume it wasn’t good. Lay low and stay out of trouble.” Angela took the money and we watched as Tim walked out of the room. 

I didn’t waste any time and started digging through the drawers to find the heater. Angela was grabbing shirts for us to change into and found a backpack to throw some extra clothes in. Dally wouldn’t mind missing a few shirts and sweatpants. The heater on the other hand might cause a bit of an uproar. 

Once we were changed and packed, we made our way downstairs and tried to sneak out without being seen by the gang. I held my breath as we walked through the sweaty crowd and slipped through the backdoor without being stopped. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, only to be stopped by Steve. “Where the hell have you two been?” 

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Angela was silent behind me as well. He looked at the backpack and asked what was going on. 

I looked around to make sure no one else was around and said, “We have to lay low for a while. Please don’t tell anyone you saw us. Our brothers already talked to us, so don’t worry about them. I wouldn’t ask you to lie for us if it wasn’t a big deal. Please Steve.” 

He heard the seriousness in my voice and nodded his head. “Alright. But don’t be getting into any more trouble.” He pulled me in for a hug and I whispered in his ear, “Tell Soda I love him and I’m sorry.” I pulled away and saw the concern in his eyes. “We will be back when it’s safe.” And walked off. I knew if I stayed any longer, I would break down and right now I can’t afford that. 

We had walked for a little bit before Angela asked where we were going. “Bus station.” She nodded her head and we walked the next few miles in silence. I could tell we were both hanging on by a thread. One wrong thing was going to set us off and I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to bring it back in. I don’t exactly know how you are supposed to feel after you kill someone. Don’t get me wrong, I know taking someone’s life isn’t supposed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but part of me was glad to know my attacker wasn’t out there anymore. I can’t speak for my friend next to me, but revenge almost felt good. The past was finally in the past and I know that soc would never bother me again. 

I just realized something and stopped. Angela gave me a worried look and asked what was wrong. “I didn’t even know his name.” She shook her head in realization, “Guess we will find out what they are in the papers tomorrow.” 

We started walking again and finally made it to the bus station. It was late and there were only a few buses left that were leaving tonight. I looked at the board and asked, “Texas or California?” Angela smirked, “I want to find me a good lookin cowboy.” 

And it was settled. We were headed to the lone star state.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20  
Dally P.O.V.

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and a bruised rib. Sitting up slowly, I was trying to remember why the hell I felt this way to begin with. I looked down at my hand and saw it cut up, most likely from someone’s face and then it all hit me. 

My dumbass sister and her stupid ass friend got into some shit last night and thought they could handle it. Images of her bloody shirt and the frantic look in her eyes told me that she did something that would make me cringe. But her being her stubborn self, she didn’t want my help. I didn’t exactly fight her on it but honestly, I was scared to know what they had done. 

Tim had found me later that night and told me he gave them some cash and my heater to keep them out of trouble. He didn’t know what they did either, but we had a pretty damn good guess at what it was. 

Soda asked about Sage a little into the night and Steve told him that she needed to lay low for a while. Having heard Steve know more than I did about my sister rubbed me the wrong way. That’s when I picked a fight with someone from Tim’s outfit and drank myself to sleep. 

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. What the hell did my kid sister get into and why can’t I keep my cool around her for more than five minutes? I got out of bed and decided to head to the Curtis house for reason’s I didn’t know. Maybe I could get more information out of Steve and figure out where the kid went. 

The walk there had me thinking about how much Sage had changed since the last time I saw her. Back in New York, she was full of life and always had me on my toes. I swear she reminded me of Two-bit more and more as she got older. Leaving her was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Coming back to Tulsa knowing I had nothing to my name was the main reason why I wanted her to stay behind. I couldn’t support her or give her the life she deserved. Our deadbeat father couldn’t do much either, but she had friends and a life full of possibilities in the big city and taking that away from her didn’t seem right. I knew she would hate me, but I really thought it was the best thing for her. 

Looking back on how she has been here, she is more like me now than Two-bit. The hardened look in her eyes, her need to push people away, and that temper. Man, that temper has Winston written all over it. New York is the reason why I am the way I am and clearly it rubbed off on Sage as well. 

But I what exactly happened to make her live up to our reputation? I know dad beat her like he did me, but that wouldn’t make her shut out the people she cared about the most. I thought for sure her and Soda would get together with how close they were growing up, but she even pushed him away. When I get her back, I’m going to find out the real reason why she came here. Because I know it sure isn’t because of our dad.

I walked into the Curtis house and sat on the couch next to Johnny. He seemed jumpier than normal and I asked him what was up. “Did you hear the soc’s have declared a war on greasers?” I shook my head confused. 

Darry cut in, “Two soc kids were stabbed last night on greaser territory. They have no idea who did it, but it doesn’t look good.” 

Stabbed? My blood ran cold as it all clicked. Sage and Angela killed those boys and we let them figure it out themselves. Shit. I saw Steve walk in, and I stormed over and drug him outside by his collar. He didn’t seem too surprised at my actions but everyone else inside did. Once the door slammed shut, I let him go. 

“What did Sage tell you last night?” He looked at me confused, “Said she needed to lay low for a while and already talked to you about it. Begged me not to tell anyone. Why?” 

I shook my head, “Two soc’s were stabbed last night with no one to blame.” Steve’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit. I didn’t know.” I started pacing as I tried to figure out what to do. 

Soda had come out to ask where Sage was, and I threw my hands up in the air out of frustration. “I have no fucking idea! Her and Angela said they had all this shit figured out and I let them walk away. Fuck!” 

Soda looked at Steve and asked, “Where do you think they went?” Steve shrugged his shoulders and I pointed a finger at them both. “None of this gets out. You hear me?” They nodded their heads, Soda a little confused but as I walked away Steve told him to go read the paper. 

With two rich kids murdered on our side of town, I knew it was only a matter of time before Tim and I were hauled in. We needed to get our stories straight if they asked about our sisters and then go find them. I thought New York would be the only place I could get mixed up in a murder rap.

Sage P.O.V. 

We had been on the bus for hours now and my mind had started to wonder. I was in over my head thinking we could figure this out on our own. Dally and Tim are the only two people that would know what to do and I pushed them away like I normally did. For once I didn’t want to be like my cold-hearted brother, but here we are again proving that I had zero will power to be my own person. 

Angela had fallen asleep a couple hours into the drive and looked like she was dead to the world. I cringed at the thought of death and shook my head. I needed to get a grip, or I was going to blow this for the both of us. 

Soda’s face kept popping into my mind and my heart ached at what I had just thrown away. He had been there for me even when I tried to push him away, and I took advantage of that. I had a small glimmer of hope that I might have a shot at love, but I was crazy to ever believe a Winston could be capable of that. 

From there my mind wondered to my last year in New York and the hell that brought me. I fell for a guy who was worse than my brother. Hell, he made my brother look like a damn angel and I think that’s why I was attracted to him. He is the reason I am the way I am. Why I can’t trust myself to fully let someone in. 

Mark started off treating me right. He made me feel things I never thought I would feel again after my brother left me. I was truly happy and that was all due to this stupid mistake of a guy. Slowly things started to change. I would talk back and get slapped in the face. If I rolled my eyes, which I do fairly frequently, I would end up with a black eye. He told me if my eye was swollen shut, I wouldn’t be able to roll it anymore. I have to give it to him because it was some sound logic. A little on the fucked up side, but I saw where he was coming from. 

Getting hit didn’t bother me like it probably should have. My old man beat me all the time and a few bruises weren’t going to stop me from living my life. As horrible as it is to say, the bruises made me look tough and that was one thing that worked in my favor on the streets of New York. 

Mark didn’t scare me until he started to get jealous. I wasn’t allowed to talk to other guys, look at them, or even mention a name of the opposite sex without him flipping out. At first, I didn’t think he would do anything, but glory was I wrong. 

The first time I had a heater pulled on me was when I told Mark about this guy who helped get these other guys off me that had jumped me on my way home. I honestly thought he would be happy that someone stuck up for me, but he pulled the gun out so fast I didn’t have time to react. Having the guy, you thought you loved press the barrel of a gun to your head changes you. 

From there I was too scared to do anything. I started to go out less, lost all of my friends in fears that he would shoot me for saying the wrong thing. I was trapped in his iron grip and saw no way out for the longest time. It felt like I was living in a never-ending dream and didn’t wake up until the night he did something I didn’t think I would ever recover from. 

I made the rare decision to order some pizza because I didn’t want to go out and my dad had zero food in the house. Mark had been out running the streets with some friends of his and I didn’t think I would see him until the morning. My dad was passed out drunk on the couch and I was walking around in an oversized shirt and my underwear. 

The doorbell rang and a kid younger than me had my pizza in his hands. The interaction was harmless, and I gave him the money, plus tip, and took the pizza inside. I hadn’t walked two steps before I heard the all too familiar sound of a gunshot. Many different things were running through my head and I did something I would later regret to this day. I opened the door and looked to see what had happened. 

On the bottom step of our house laid the young pizza boy with blood running from his head. The ground beneath him began to stain a dark crimson color that was slowly growing larger. Mark stood a few feet away and pointed at me. “I told you what would happen if you talked to another guy. This is your fault. You left me no choice.” 

Standing out in the cold autumn night was me in my oversized shirt and a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. All I could think about was the family who lost their son because I was with a psychotic guy who had no problems killing innocent people. 

Mark had walked off and left me with the lifeless kid. I called 9-1-1 and told them that Mark Peters had shot the pizza delivery boy then grabbed a bag stuff with a few things and ran. My dad had an old beat up car that I used to drag race in sometimes that I decided would now be mine. I drove and didn’t stop until I was out of the state of New York and far enough away that Mark couldn’t hurt me or others anymore. 

Mark had killed someone without a second thought. How was what I did to that soc any different? I didn’t have a lot of regret because of what he had done to me at that party and I was trying to convince myself that he deserved it. The more I thought about it the more I realized that Mark probably thought the same thing about the innocent pizza boy. 

Who in the hell have I become?


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21  
Sage P.O.V.

It felt like a lifetime, but we were finally walking off the bus into the Texas sun. We decided Dallas, TX would be a good place to lay low, plus who doesn’t want to stay in the city that your brother shares a name with? 

It didn’t take us long to find a cheap hotel and I gave the lady at the front counter enough cash to cover a week stay. We didn’t know how long we needed to lay low for or how to even know when things had cleared up at home. Maybe I would give Dal a call later in the week to check in. I know him and Tim got pulled into the station for questioning based on how close of a relationship they seemed to have with the cops. Hopefully they can hold it together a little better than Angela and I are. 

We had been sitting in the hotel room for an hour and I had almost smoked half a pack of cigarettes trying to calm my nerves. Angela was standing in front of the mirror and said, “We should change our hair.” 

I glanced over to her and asked why. “Well if the cops think it is us then they will have less of a chance in finding us if we don’t match the description.” It made sense but wouldn’t changing our looks make us seem guilty? 

“What happens if they still have no idea who did it and we get back to town lookin like two different people? Think that will raise any flags?” She thought it over some and eventually nodded her head. It had taken a while for me to grow out my blonde hair. I wasn’t about to go chopping it off if I didn’t have to. “If we catch wind that they have our names, then we will do something. But I don’t want to make rash decisions and increase our chances of getting caught.” 

I had counted our cash and saw we had a little over a hundred dollars left that Tim had given us. If we were smart, we could make it last us a few weeks between food and a new hotel if we needed to stay longer than this week. 

Angela’s voice pulled my attention back to her. “We need to treat this as a vacation. When is the next time we are gonna be out of Tulsa? Until our pictures hit the paper, you and I are going to have fun.” 

I mentally rolled my eyes at her. We just stabbed two people to death, and she wants us to have a fun girl’s trip like nothing happened. There are times where I see Angela as a well put together person who was simply dealt a losing hand in life. This is not one of those times. The girl looking back at me has zero feelings of guilt and is acting like we didn’t just screw up our lives. I thought I was losing my mind the other night, but I am more concerned about her now. She is acting like a wildcard and I’m not sure how to play my hand if it goes the wrong way. 

I let out a sigh and asked, “What do you have in mind?” 

She gave me a sly grin. “I wanted to find me a cowboy and I think that’s what we should do. I saw a flyer at the front desk about a rodeo in town. What do you say, Sage? Ready to show these boys how a girl from Tulsa does things?” I smirked and nodded my head. She might be crazy sometimes, but I think crazy is what I need. 

It didn’t take us long to find this rodeo. I think I smelt the animals before I even saw one. Angela was practically bouncing with joy as we watched cowboy after cowboy walk by us. Dally used to ride horses for Buck is what I was told, but I never had a strong love for these smelly animals. I couldn’t help but feel a pull on my heart when I thought how much Ponyboy and Johnny would love it here. I shook the thoughts of them out of my head as I was half listening to Angela ramble on about how good these jeans looked on these guys. 

It didn’t take long for her to have her arms wrapped around this poor guy who had zero idea how much my friend liked to play with boys’ hearts. It was almost like a game to her to see how close she could get them before she ripped their hearts out. I chuckled at the smile he gave her knowing it wouldn’t last long. 

“Now what’s a pretty thing like you doing all by your lonesome?” I jumped at the stranger’s voice next to me and saw a tall brunette wearing a dark flannel. He was cute but no one could pull of a flannel like Sodapop. 

“Just watching this poor guy fall for my friends trap.” He looked over to Angela and chuckled, “He deserves it.” Turning his attention back to me he asked where I was from. I almost said Tulsa, but I didn’t want people to be able to place me here if the feds get a hold of our names. “New York.” 

He let out a low whistle, “Long way from home. What brings you to Texas of all places?” 

I smirked, “My friend wanted to snag a cowboy. What better place than here?” 

That got him laughing. “Well you came to the right place that’s for sure. Have you been to a rodeo before?” 

I shook my head at him. I didn’t know if it was the smell that turned me away or how large these animals were. Even the goats looked like they could do some damage. “Well we need to find what you are good at.” 

I turned my head to give him a confused look, “What?” He met my question with a smile, “You can’t come to a rodeo and not do rodeo things. I’m a bull rider, but I wouldn’t recommend you do that. We need to find you something a little smaller.” 

As scary as bull riding sounded, I didn’t like being told I couldn’t do something. “What makes you think I couldn’t ride a bull?” His eyebrows shot up at that question. “It’s dangerous. You could get hurt.” 

I scoffed at him. “Buddy I spent the last four years living on the streets of New York. If I could handle that, I can stay on that bull for all of 8 seconds.” 

A smile of disbelief spread on his face as he shook his head. “Darlin, if you want to ride a bull then we will find you a bull. But don’t blame me if you get stomped on.” I nodded my head and told Angela that I would meet her in a bit. She asked where I was going and I said, “To ride a bull.” 

She looked shocked and the guy next to her told me, “Little lady you are going to get hurt. Gals don’t ride bulls.” My new brunette friend put his hands up, “I told her that, but she insisted.” 

Angela shook her head, “That was your first mistake. This girl can’t say no to a challenge.” It was true. Dally would be proud of me for upholding our name once again. 

He led me over to a small arena off to the side and told me that this was where the locals rode for cash. I learned that there was a main event for the traveling circuit of cowboys inside. This out here was for the no named people, but there was still money to be won. 

I walked over and signed up to be in the bull riding competition and continued to get disapproving looks. At first, I did this to prove one person wrong, but it was turning into a whole mob of people. I had a few people ahead of me and took this time to watch what they did. Most of them fell off within the first 5 seconds, but the ones that stayed on made it look easy. I needed to move with the bull and not against him in order to stay on. 

As my time was getting closer, I was getting more nervous by the minute. The guy right in front of me had been stomped on in the leg and had to be carried off the arena on a stretcher. “You’re up darlin.” My cowboy friend helped me climb over the railing and sit right on top of the bull. 

We were caged in to allow me to get situated before the gate opened to the dirt stage. I knew these animals were large, but the amount of anger in this guy was starting to worry me. It was like his only mission in life was to buck off and hurt as many humans as possible. 

I was handed a rope by the guy running the show and was told to wrap it around my dominant hand to help keep me in the saddle. “When you fall off, roll to the side and run to the fence.” I wasn’t planning on falling off, but I nodded my head anyway. “You ready?” I let out a deep breath and nodded my head. The bull underneath me had been trying to slam me against the side of the gate this whole time and I was starting to get more concerned about what he would do to me once he had free range. 

“Go!” A voice yelled out and the gate was thrown open. The bull wasted no time in getting out there and had been jumping around like a mad man. I could hear people surrounding the small arena cheering for me as I held on for dear life. He bucked up and down and jumped higher than I ever thought an animal of his size could. The seconds ticked down slower than I’ve ever seen time go as I felt my body being lifted and slammed back down into the saddle repetitively. I felt my grip becoming lose and looked up to see I had 2 seconds left before the horn rang out.

I felt the rope slide through my hands as the welcoming ring of the horn signaled the 8 seconds were up. I went air born and landed with a solid thud on the dirt ground. My body seemed to take over as I rolled and ran to the fence like that guy had told me. A few pair of arms pulled me over the fence, away from the pissed off bull. Hands clapped my back and cheers rang out among the crowd as a girl just showed up a bunch of guys. 

I was breathing hard as the adrenaline wore off and I felt a burning pain on my hand. I looked down to see a solid rope burn from where the rope came loose in my hand. “That was amazing, New York!” I saw my brunette friend run up to me with a huge smile plastered on his face. “Gosh dang! I will never question another gal again!” 

I couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm. “As fun as it was proving you all wrong, I think I’ll hang up my hat when it comes to bull riding.” 

He laughed and Angela walked up. “Glory do we have a story to tell when we get back home.” Dally wouldn’t believe me if I told him. Or if he did, he would call me stupid for even getting on the bull. 

“Let’s go wrap your hand up.” I didn’t know who said it, but I followed Angela and Mr. plaid shirt over to a first aide tent. I allowed myself to forget everything that was waiting for us at home and enjoyed today. To everyone’s surprise, I got second place in the competition, earning me a small belt buckle with a bull on it and some prize money. 

This morning I thought Angela was crazy for wanting to let loose, but I think we both needed a break from our sad story of a life. Tomorrow I was going to call my brother and check in, but for now I was going to have a few beers and enjoy the company of a Texas cowboy.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22  
Sage P.O.V.

It had been a week in Texas, and I knew we needed to get in touch with our brothers soon. As much as we both tried to hide it, we were getting antsy with the fear of the unknown. Angela was passed out on the bed we shared and part of me envied her for being able to sleep. I had managed to get a few hours of rest here and there, but the nightmares kept me awake most of the night. 

I got out of bed and changed quietly, trying not to wake her up yet. She has been determined to make this runaway trip one to remember. After the rodeo, she made it her personal mission to hook up with as many guys as possible. I think she was on guy number eight, no nine. I had been laying low for the most part. It wasn’t because I did find any of the guys appealing, none of them were Soda. 

I slipped out of the room unnoticed and walked down the street to the nearest payphone. I had to be strategic about this phone call since I didn’t know what was waiting in Tulsa for us. It was early morning and I knew Dally would be hungover or passed out somewhere. Buck wouldn’t be up this early either. The Curtis house would alert the whole gang about my runaway stunt and draw too much attention to me. They had to know by now what happened, but that still didn’t mean I wanted them hunting us down to bring us back. My only option left was Tim. I shook my head and dialed his number. 

While I waited for someone to pick up, I looked at my surroundings to make sure no one was within earshot of this conversation. The street was mostly empty with the occasional car driving by. “Hello?” I heard Tim’s scruffy voice. 

I must have woken him up. “Tim?” I could hear him perk up some, “Sage?” My heart was pounding with how nervous this conversation made me. “Yeah it’s me. What’s going on up there?” 

I could hear him moving around and yelled at Curly to get lost. “The feds have no idea who did it and they pulled us into the station for questioning. I didn’t say much but Dally dropped a hint that it might have been someone in the Brumly boys’ gang.” 

I nodded my head at that. “Do you think it’s safe to come back soon?” 

There was a pause, “You won’t get any problems with the feds, but the soc have been worse than ever. I think there is going to be a rumble soon.” 

That didn’t exactly answer my question, but I know he wants us to stay safe. “Hey umm, how’s Dal?” 

There was an audible sigh, “He’s taken this hard, kid. The whole gang has been pretty messed up since you both left. Dally won’t admit it, but he misses you. How’s my kid sister doing?” 

I couldn’t help but chuckle, “Good. As bad as this sounds, she needed to get out of town for a while.” 

“And you?” I paused and thought about his question. I wasn’t falling apart like I thought I would. As each day goes on, I feel myself getting a little more back to normal. “I’m fine, Tim. It’s going to take a lot more than this to bring me down.” 

I heard him chuckle, “You both stay out of trouble until you get back here.” 

“A little late for that one I’m afraid.” We both hung up after saying our goodbyes and I went back to the hotel to tell Angela about the conversation. 

She was still asleep by the time I got back, and I woke her up by throwing a pillow at her. “The fuck is your problem Winston?” 

I smirked at her and said, “Pack your things. We are going home.” She sat up and asked who I talked to. “Your brother and I had a nice chat this morning. Feds have no idea it’s us, so we are in the clear for now.” 

She gave me a rare, genuine smile, “Man I can’t wait to get back.” 

Dally P.O.V

They had been gone a week and I was losing my damn mind. We hadn’t heard from them and knowing the trouble they cause, I couldn’t help but worry about them. I had to stop going around the Curtis house with how all of them were acting. 

Soda was a lovesick puppy. The smile he normally had hadn’t been there since the night Sage ran. Steve was beating himself up over the fact that he didn’t stop them. I nearly laughed at that because there was no stopping Sage. Two-bit had been drinking more, like myself, and wanted to go and find them. Darry seemed like he was taking it hard. I know Sage had turned to him for family support and I think he feels like he failed her. 

I just couldn’t shake the fact that my kid sister stabbed someone. I can almost see Angela doing it because being raised by Tim can push someone to do some crazy shit. 

I was sitting at the bar at Bucks, deciding to start drinking early today, when Tim walked in. I hadn’t talked to him much this week and he didn’t show up at Bucks, so I’m assuming he was dealing with everything in his own way. I gave him a weird look when he sat down and smirked at me. “Talked to Sage this morning.” 

I set my beer down and turned to him. “They okay? What did she say?” 

He grabbed my beer and took a swig from it. “They are good. I don’t know where they are at, but I think they are coming home soon. Told them the feds had no idea who killed them soc.” 

I nodded my head. “Hey man, umm how’s Sage doing?” 

Tim chuckled, “Damn you two are too much alike. She sounded the exact same when she asked about you.” I tried to hide my smile that my sister actually wanted to know how I was. Maybe there was hope for us after all. “She seemed okay. But you know her.” 

I took my beer back and finished the rest of it. I did know her. She was too much like me and wasn’t about to show people how fucked up she might actually be. Tim left a little after that conversation and I figured I would head to the Curtis house and let them know she is doing okay. 

It was Sunday and everyone had off, meaning the house would be chaotic. I had to take a few deep breaths before I walked in, because I knew the second I told them Sage was okay, it would be nonstop questions. 

I opened the door to find the house quieter than usual. Two-bit was glued to the TV, but everyone else was sitting around in silence. “Man, did someone die?” 

They all turned to look at me and Soda asked if I had heard anything from Sage. Shit, maybe I should’ve kept coming around if they were all acting like this all week. “Yeah man. Tim talked to her this morning. Said they might be coming home soon.” 

It was like a switch had flipped. All of them had smiles on their faces and as hard as I tried to keep one off of mine, it didn’t work. This girl has all the gang going soft and I don’t think she even knew it. 

Two-bit asked where she was. I shrugged my shoulders, “Don’t know. Only things I know are what I just told you. Tim isn’t one for heart to hearts.” 

Darry had walked into the kitchen and motioned for me to follow. Being alone with him makes me nervous at times because he could beat my head in at any moment. “Yeah man?” 

Darry leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, “With Sage coming back you need to treat this like a second chance. I know you two are too stubborn to talk to each other, but she needs her brother. That night you left her here broke her to pieces. I know you both put up a front to act like nothing bothers you, but she cried herself to sleep thinking that you would rather her dead than look after her. And who knows how she is going to be after what happened with that soc. I don’t care what you have to do to get through to her, but if you lose her again, she might not be coming back.” 

He was right. I fucked up with Sage and she didn’t deserve that. I want her to have a good life and every wrong decision she has made since she’s been here has been when I pushed her away. “I don’t know how to be the caring brother. I’ve never been that person.” I wasn’t trying to make excuses and I think Darry knew that. 

“She doesn’t need caring, she just needs you to be there for her and not walk away when things get rough. She is a teenage girl who has been through more things that I would ever wish upon someone. Life is hard enough for us on this side of the tracks. Don’t make it harder.” 

I don’t know when Darry got this grown up, but I think I need to get with him more on what to do about my sister. I nodded my head at him and walked back into the living room where Soda and Steve were starting a new card game. 

Soda looked up at me and asked if I wanted to play. “Why not? Got nothing better to do.” Soda gave me one of his old smiles and I knew at that moment I needed to keep Sage here no matter what.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sage P.O.V.  
The second we stepped off the bus was when all of the emotions came flooding back. On the ride back I had been convincing myself that I was fine, and this was where I turned a new leaf. No more stupid decisions on my part and I was going to turn my life around. 

One of the things I really had to come to terms with is getting the Winston chip off my shoulder. Walking away from a life full of attitude and trouble was going to be tough, but if I wanted to stay out of the cooler and make something of myself, I needed to make some major changes. I thought about distancing myself from those who brought out the worst in me. But that would mean losing my best friend and brother in the process. 

Angela was like a drug that made you feel way too damn good while on it but manages to fuck up your life in the process. She made me feel invincible and like nothing in this god forsaken world could ever bring me down. But then again, we committed a double murder together, and ditched this town to not get caught. Don’t get me wrong, having a mini vacation while hiding from the cops was thrilling and boy was that a story I would tell my kids later on. But the voices in my head only got louder as time moved on and the blood on my hands would never go away. So, like I said, she was a damn drug. 

Dal was a different story though. He wasn’t the brother I needed and always seemed to push me away when shit hits the fan. Darry has been there more for me than Dal, but something about my hot-headed brother always made me come running back to him no matter how much his words had cut through me. At the end of the day, trouble always seems to follow me, and I need to figure out how to escape it if I wanted to live past my 18th birthday. 

Angela and I had started walking down the street, both of us caught up in our thoughts to say anything. It didn’t take us long to reach her street and we saw Tim standing outside of their house yelling at Curly for god knows what. He did a double take when he saw us standing there and made his way towards us. 

I saw Angela tense up and I knew she had been stressing over this mini reunion. I had no idea how it would be between my brother and I, so I couldn’t judge her hesitancy at all. Tim looked both of us over, making sure we were in one piece, before he pulled Angela into a quick hug. She let out a small yelp, thinking she was going to be hit instead of arms wrapping around her. 

I gave a small smile at the two of them, knowing Dally would do nothing like this. The rest of the guys would, but their actions didn’t get to me like my brothers did. After all the years of abuse and abandonment by my own family, the only thing I wanted was a little bit of affection. It might seem childish to want such a tiny thing, but Winston’s were known to be cold hearted and I was over keeping up that act. 

Tim let go of his sister and looked at me, “You doin okay kid?” I nodded my head and shoved my hands in my pockets. He seemed to know I wasn’t but didn’t push me on the matter. Taking a step back, he pointed a finger at the two of us, “If the two of you ever pull a stunt like that again I will skin you myself. You got me?” He was trying to scold us, but his tone told me he was just happy we were back. 

We both nodded our heads to him, and I started walking towards the Curtis house. “You want me to walk you back? The Soc have been all over this side of town ever since their friends died.” I froze at Tim’s words almost forgetting for a second that we were cold blooded killers. It was a short walk, and nothing was supposed to happen between here and there, but the way Tim had said what he did made me question walking another ten feet by myself. “I should be fine.” 

He shook his head and told Angela to go back to the house and came walking towards me. “Your brother would kill me if something happened to you the second you came back.” I rolled my eyes at him and we headed to the Curtis house. Tim wasn’t one for talking and honestly, I was fine with it right now. 

I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do when I saw the gang. Yeah, they were going to be excited I am back, but once the excitement calms down, I had no idea what kind of talk was waiting for me. As we got closer the nerves were starting to show. I was fiddling with the hem of my shirt and Tim noticed. “They just want you back. Don’t think too much into it.” 

I shrugged my shoulder and thought back to how I left them. My brother had stormed out without me giving him an explanation and Steve covered for me when we snuck out. Soda and I were in a good place before I decided to kill someone and skip town. Lord knows he won’t want to be with a murderer. What will Darry think? God I was worse than my own brother at this point and I have a feeling everyone knew that too. 

A hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality. I looked up and saw we were standing outside the Curtis house and based of the noise that was coming from inside, I knew the whole gang was there. Tim gave me a supportive squeeze on my shoulder and then turned to walk back to his house. I knew he wouldn’t stay but part of me was hoping he would at least walk me in. 

What am I saying? I’ve known these guys for most of my life and clearly, I need to get over myself. What’s the worst that could happen? They want me gone? I’ve felt rejection from my own brother many times, what’s adding a few more people to that list? I shook my head to get rid of these thoughts as I opened the gate and walked up the steps. Taking one last deep breath, I opened the door and saw seven pairs of eyes turn to look at me. 

My hands were shaking as I stood in the doorway and dropped my bag on the ground, waiting for one of them to say something. Maybe this was a bad decision. Maybe I could’ve made a life back in Dallas and started fresh. I started to turn around and walk back out the door when Two-bit hopped over the couch and picked me up into a bear hug. “Sage Winston! Glory have we missed you!” He put me down and I couldn’t help but smile back at his goofy grin. 

Pony and Johnny were next, wrapping both of their arms around me and squeezing tight. Pony started asking a million questions like where I was, what I did, who I met. He didn’t stop until Johnny hit his shoulder. “Calm down man. Give her a minute.” I gave Johnny a thankful smile and he blushed as he turned his head from me. Man, these two boys were something else. 

Steve pushed them aside and wrapped his arms around me. He whispered in my ear so only I could hear, “I will never in my life ever let you walk away like that again.” He pulled away and I looked down. “Sorry.” He kissed my forehead and told me it was my one freebee. I gave him a smirk and saw Soda walk towards me. 

My heart seemed like it was in my throat as I was trying to calm myself down. He had tears in his eyes, which only made me feel worse. “Soda I-“ He cut me off as his lips came crashing down on mine. I was caught off guard of the sudden movement, but quickly kissed him back. I never in my life thought that he would give me another chance, and this was one of those moments I never wanted to end. 

A voice caused us to jump back, “I’m trying real hard right now to not beat your head in for kissin’ my sister.” Soda gave me his famous grin and I bit my lip, trying not to smile like a crazy person. It took me a second to realize that the voice had belonged to my brother. 

I broke my gaze from Soda and looked to see my brother leaning against the wall, arms crossed like he didn’t have a care in the world. The room seemed to stop as the two of us stared each other down. Just like Angela did, I tensed up as he started walking towards me. Soda seemed to notice and only stood a few steps away from me in case he needed to intervene. Dally was standing directly in front of me as everyone in the room froze, worried about how the two Winston’s were going to act with each other. 

He put a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched, thinking it was going to connect with my face like it had before. He saw how I reacted, and I swear on my life I saw his eyes soften at me. “I can’t lose you again, Sage. You are all I have left.” And then pulled me into a bone crushing hug. 

This was the love and affection I was longing for. The one thing I thought my cold-hearted brother was never capable of and it was something I was going to hold on to as long as I could.

I looked over my brother’s shoulder to see Darry giving us a heartwarming smile. He had this proud look on his face, and I knew he had something to do with this. I mouthed a “thank you” to him and was met with a wink. 

In this moment, my life was nothing short of perfect and I never thought in a million years I would ever get to feel as safe as I do now.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Sage P.O.V.  
As expected, the joyful reunion only lasted so long. I managed to make it through the night without anyone asking questions, but I could tell they were itching to find out what all happened. 

Dally and I ended up crashing at the Curtis house along with the rest of the gang. It was almost like they were afraid if they left, I would disappear again. I couldn’t move than five feet without one of them following me, but I told myself that they mean well. 

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of bacon with a hint of chocolate cake mixed in with it. I got up off the couch and looked to see the rest of the guys passed out in various places in the living room. I knew at this point Darry was the only one up and as much as I wanted to snag a piece of bacon, I didn’t know if I was ready to face his disapproving stares. After a short internal debate, I decided the bacon would be worth the discomfort. 

I silently stepped over Two-bit and Steve who were sprawled out on the floor and drug myself to the kitchen. Darry’s head turned towards me as I rounded the corner and he gave me a warm smile. “Mornin’. How did you sleep?” 

I walked over to the counter where the bacon was laid out on a plate. “Better than I have in a while.” 

He nodded his head and started to ice the cake he had pulled out of the oven not too long ago. He glanced down at my hand and saw the rope burn. It had almost healed, but a red mark was still noticeable. “What happened?” 

I looked down at my hand and smiled, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” At this point Dally and Soda walked in with Steve not too far behind. Two-bit must still be sleeping. 

Soda came and grabbed my hand to look at it. “Looks like a burn of some sort.” 

I nodded my head and Dally asked where I got it from. I hesitated not knowing exactly how to tell this story. “Ah, well you see, Angela wanted to get out of the hotel room and somehow we made it down to a rodeo.” 

Dally chuckled, “You hate rodeos.” 

I slowly nodded my head, “It wasn’t like we had much else to do down there. Anyway, Angela found herself a guy which left me to figure something out. Out of nowhere this one guy had come up and started asking questions and next thing I knew, I was riding a bull.” 

They were all staring at me in disbelief and Dally held up a hand. “I’m sorry. I thought I heard you just say you rode a bull.” 

I nodded my head and looked down at my hand. “He said girls don’t ride bulls and I wanted to prove him wrong.” 

Steve laughed, “Poor guy had no idea who he was dealing with when he said that. How long did you last?” 

I smirked, “8 seconds. The rope slid out of my hand as I was trying to get off. Left a small burn. I got second though, if that counts for anything.” 

Soda was looking at me with a mixture of amusement and awe. “So, you are tellin me that my girl rode a bull and lived to tell about it?” 

I nodded my head with a smile and heard Two-bit’s voice from the living room, “Hot damn we got ourselves a badass. You plan on entering bull riding events here?” 

Dally said no before I could even open my mouth. Steve and Soda were laughing at this point and Dally shook his head. “I swear you don’t think sometimes.” 

Everyone grabbed some breakfast and watched Mickey for a while. Pony and Johnny left to go hang out at the lot at some point, which left me with the rest of the guys. I could tell they were all starting to get restless and I caught them giving each other glances every now and then. It was only a matter of time before the questions started. 

I was sitting on the couch leaning against Soda with my feet laid across Steve’s lap. Dally walked back in the room after grabbing a beer and leaned against the wall. “Alright kid. What the hell happened?” 

I felt Soda tense up next to me and I let out a deep breath. “As you know, Angela and I were going to walk the last little bit to Buck’s because we convinced the guys to walk ahead. By no way was it any of your faults. Shit just happened. We were almost there when a mustang pulled up next to us and two guys got out. If were anyone else but them, it wouldn’t have happened I swear. But seeing their faces and hearing their voices really messed us up. They were drunk and looking for a fight. I wanted to make a run for it because I knew it wasn’t going to end well. But Ange pulled her switch out and I couldn’t leave her.” 

I had to pause to take a few deep breaths. My hands were shaking at this point and Soda saw. He grabbed one of my hands and started to rub circles on the back of it with his thumb. 

“It was like a blacked out. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn’t get that night out of my head. Once we realized what we did, we went to Bucks to figure out what the hell we were going to do. Dal and Tim got involved shortly after, but we made a decision not to tell them what happened. Which resulted in Dal storming off because of how much of a bitch I was being. Tim gave us some cash, told us where Dally kept his heater, and told us to lay low. We had almost made it out of there until we ran into Steve. And for what seemed like the millionth time that night, I talked him into letting us go. We went to the bus station and hopped on a bus to a different state.” 

Everyone was silent for a minute, taking in everything I had just said. Nearly everyone had a hand in letting me walk away with zero questions and I think that is what was eating at them the most. 

Two-bit asked where we went. “Angela wanted to find herself a cowboy, so we headed down to Texas.” He nodded his head and looked like he was in a daze. 

I shook my head at them, “I made all of my decisions. None of you could have stopped what happened that night. You all know me. I wouldn’t take no for an answer.” 

Soda squeezed my hand and Dal said he needed to talk to me outside. I gave him a confused look, but slowly followed him out the front door. He leaned against to porch railing and lit a cigarette. 

After a few drags of it he turned to me, “Look kid, I’m sorry for how I’ve been treating you. You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you and it feels like I don’t know you anymore. I guess that’s my fault for leaving you behind, but I did it because I thought it would be for the best. Dad hated my guts, but he seemed to leave you alone. Or at least I thought. You had friends and a life there. I didn’t want to screw that up by bringing you here. Then you showed up out of nowhere and scared the shit out of me. I see how Darry is with those boys and I knew I couldn’t be that for you. I thought maybe if I pushed you away you would head back to New York. Then the whole murder thing happened.” 

He shook his head and took another drag. “I should’ve been there for you. I know that now.” 

I looked out at the street and sighed, “I made life hard for you. I went out of my way to piss you off and it worked. No of this is your fault. I knew exactly what I was doing the whole time. But after what happened last week, I want things to change. I don’t want to keep going down this same path. I escaped all of that in New York and wanted to start fresh here. But it seems like it followed me.” 

I could see him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. “What did happen back home for you to come here? And I know it ain’t dad.” 

I looked down and tried to think of the best way to tell him. I knew this was something I couldn’t keep in for much longer. “I got in with the wrong crowd. Fell for a guy who make you look like a saint. I don’t what happened, but next thing I knew he killed a kid because he thought I was flirting with him. I could deal with dad beating the shit out of me. I could deal with my boyfriend using me as a punching bag as well. Honestly the bruises helped me look tough and you know out on those streets you need to look like you can do some damage. But what I couldn’t deal with is him shooting some kid on my front doorstep because of me. So, I called the feds on him and ran. Haven’t looked back since.” 

Dally was tense now and was struggling to keep his temper in check. After a minute of him pacing, he asked what his name was. “Mark Peters.” Dally stopped pacing and his head shot up at me. “Mark Peters?” 

I nodded my head and started to get this sick feeling in my stomach. “What’s going on, Dal?” 

He ran a hand though his hair, “Tim told me this kid from New York tried to join his gang. He said he seemed too wild for him to want to keep an eye on. Last he heard he ended up with the Brumly Boys. He said his name was Mark Peters.” 

I took a few steps back from him and felt my blood run cold. He found me. I was stupid to run back to my brother. He knew that’s where I would be. And the worst thing about it is that I led him straight the people I love. God how could I be so careless? 

Dally grabbed my face in his hands and said, “Talk to me, kid.” 

My whole body was shaking at this point. “He is going to kill me, Dal. He is going to kill me and there is nothing I can do about it.”


	25. Chapter 25

Sage P.O.V. 

Something inside Dal snapped after I told him about Mark. To my surprise, he didn’t blame me for anything, but I wasn’t about to be the only Winston with blood on their hands. Dally explained everything to the guys and Darry made it clear that I wasn’t to leave the house without someone with me. In all honesty, I had zero intensions to walk out that door any time soon. 

Tim had come over later that afternoon so Dal could tell him to keep an eye out for the guy. Before he left, he came over and put a hand on my shoulder, “We won’t let him get near you. He is a dead man walking.” And then left. 

Dal sat down next to me and said, “Between Shepard’s gang and ours, he isn’t going to be breathing much longer.” All I could do was nod my head at this point. Everyone had seemed to calm down at this point besides my brother. Mickey was on TV and had captured the attention of Two-bit while Soda and Steve argued over a card game. 

Darry was called into work and told us all to stay inside tonight. He was more stressed out than usual, but I guess that happens when an old murderer is trying to go after a new one. I shook my head at that thought and saw Dal look at me out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to be just as caught up in his head as I am in mine. 

Mark knew I would come here because of my brother. I knew this place and had a home waiting for me, which made his search for me pretty simple. He used to make rash decisions without worrying about the repercussions of them. Which made me wonder why he would go through the trouble of trying to join a gang if he only wanted to kill me. 

My mind drifted back to the poor pizza boy and how he reacted to that. What if he saw me with Soda? Or any of the guys for that matter? It’s not only me that isn’t safe, it’s all of us. God, what would happen if one of the boys got hurt because I led my psycho ex here? I know Tim and Dal think they have it handled, but they don’t know Mark like I do. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And at this point, I have no idea what that even is. 

I jumped when I felt a hand touch my cheek. Soda was standing over me with a concerned look. “Darlin you need to get out of that pretty little head of yours. Come play cards with us.” I went to say no, but the pleading in his eyes made me give in. He pulled me off the couch and led me to the kitchen table with Steve who was drinking a beer. “You here to get your ass whopped, Sage?” He gave me his crooked tooth grin which made me chuckle at the sight. “You wish.” 

For the rest of the night, the three of us played cards while Two-bit was glued to the TV. Dal had left at some point and I figured he went back to Buck’s. Pony and Johnny made it back a few minutes before Darry walked through the door. They knew they were cutting it close and avoided the rest of us so we wouldn’t accidently rat them out to Darry. The rest of that night I was able to push Mark out of my head and enjoy this time with my family. 

-

I woke up on the couch the next morning to Dally baring in the door. I looked at the clock and saw it was not even 7am. I put my head under the pillow to drown out his stomping. He came over and ripped the pillow out of my hands and slapped my cheek, “Wake up, stupid.” I turned over and went to swing at his face, but he saw it coming and grabbed my arm before it hit him. 

He chuckled as Darry came walking out of his room. “No fighting inside.” I snatched my arm back from his grip and mumbled, “I have no issues going outside.” Dal ruffled my hair and stood up before I could try and hit him again. 

I sat up on the couch and watched Dal plop himself on the recliner with a ghost of a smile on his face. “What the hell as you so damn cheery this morning? It’s annoying.” He smirked at me as Soda came rushing into the living room, trying to find his work shirt. 

Steve walked through the door with Two-bit on his heels, both coming to sit down on the tiny couch with me. I glared at Two-bit when he shoved me over some and he held up his hands, “Who pissed in your cheerios this morning?” I nodded over to my brother, “His annoying ass.” 

Dal still had that stupid smirk on his face when he said, “Soc’s called for a rumble last night. Said this Friday at the lot. No weapons.” That got all of them riled up. I had to walk into the kitchen to get away from all the yelling and hollering about how they are going to kick some rich kid’s asses. 

I pushed myself up onto the counter and Darry handed me a piece of toast. “There is some coffee in the pot if you want some.” I nodded my head and thanked him. He chuckled at the boys making a fool of themselves in the living room. 

As much as Darry hated fighting, he loved rumbles. I looked over to him and saw him smiling with less tension in his shoulders than normal. While I wanted nothing to do with the rumbles, the guys lived for them. And I know for sure my brother is going to let some anger out with everything that is going on. They are lucky it is only a skin fight. Dal and Tim would cause some serious harm. 

The three working boys had left along with Pony and Johnny who went to school. Soda gave me a kiss on the cheek and a wink when he ran out the door, causing Dal to gag. Two-bit should’ve gone with them but wanted to stay home. Something about him feeling like he was actually learning something while he was there and wanted to put a stop to it. 

Maybe next year I’ll go back to school and try to do something with my life. It was too late in the year to start now, and I couldn’t see myself doing any good with this Mark situation. 

I was back on the couch with Two-bit sitting on the ground with a beer and slice of cake in front of him. Dal asked what I wanted to do today. I shrugged my shoulders, “Nothing legal.” 

He gave me a sly smirk and finished his beer. “That’s what I like to hear.” The three of us left the house and headed down the road to see what trouble we could get into. Little did we know that we didn’t have to try hard to find it.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Sage P.O.V.

The three of us had been walking for a few hours, stopping in a few stores every now and then to grab something and then walking out before they could catch us. We eventually found ourselves at the DX and Two-bit whistled, causing me to look up. I saw a few girls flirting with Soda and him trying to keep a safe distance from them. 

Dally chuckled, “Dumb broads.” I walked over to where Soda was standing and gave him a wink when he saw me. A smile spread over his face, but none of the girls seemed to realize why. They probably thought it was something they said. Steve looked up from the car he was working on and saw me walking up behind the girls. He shook his head with a smile and stopped what he was doing to watch. 

I was a few feet behind the girls when I spotted a water hose. After turning the water on, I grabbed the hose and pointed it at the girls. Screams were heard the second the water hit them, and I had nothing but a smirk on my face. I made sure they were all soaked before I put the hose down. “I figured I was doing you all a favor and cooling you down since you were so hot and bothered by my boyfriend here.” 

One of them turned around and pointed a finger at me. “You bitch. Who do you think you are? You ruined my clothes!” One of the other girls grabbed her arm and said, “That Dallas Winston’s little sister. I heard she was just as crazy as him.” I stepped towards the girl who pointed the finger at me and saw her visibly pale. 

“Who in the hell do you think you are flirtin’ with another girls man? On our territory as well. You got a death wish?” She shook her head and got close enough to her to whisper in her ear, “If I ever see you near him again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do.” Dal said my name in a warning tone, and I backed off. 

The girls grabbed their things and left as quickly as they could. Steve asked what I told her for them to be running off that fast. I shrugged my shoulders, “All I said was that I liked her shoes.” Soda came a wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “You’re somethin’ else.” He kissed the side of my head and led me over to where Dal, Two, and Steve were standing. 

“What are you hobo’s up to today?” Steve asked us. Dal went to answer when Tim pulled into the DX. He got out and said, “The Brumly Boys are fighting in the rumble Friday.” Soda’s arm around me got tighter and I could see the rest of the guys tense up. Dally pointed at me, “You are not leaving the Curtis house Friday. You hear me?” I nodded my head, but all I could think about was Soda and the rest of the guys. Tim said, “Angela can stay with you. You still have that heater you took from your brother?” I nodded my head again and tuned them all out. 

I know it is a skin on skin fight, but that won’t stop him from bringing a weapon. He’s had to see me with any one of the guys and word around here travels fast. None of them are safe, no matter how confident they might seem. 

Soda pulled me back to reality as his hands touched my cheeks. “Hey now. Don’t go given up on us yet. He’s got two gangs going against him. And you know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” 

I shook my head, “I’m not worried about me. He will kill anyone who is near me. That means you, Dal, the whole gang. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to any of you.” 

He gave me one of his Hollywood smiles, “Nothing is going to happen. I’ll make sure of it.” All I could do was nod my head in response. Mark was not someone you wrote off. He was a cold-blooded killer with motives that none of them would begin to understand.

-

Friday came around quicker than I would’ve liked. The boys were amped up for the rumble tonight and that made me even more nervous. In their minds, the rumble would come first, and Mark would be second. They think he plays by everyone’s rules, but they couldn’t be more wrong. I knew Mark and I knew he would make his moves during the rumble while everyone was distracted. No amount of warnings was going to get through to them. 

Nightfall came before I knew it, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel sick to my stomach. Tim was true to his word and came over with Angela. He gave her one of his heaters for added safety, but it was them who needed it. 

The boys were getting ready to leave and Soda walked over to me, pulling me into his chest. His chin rested on top of my head as he said, “We are going to win this rumble and stop this guy. And I am going to come back to you and we are going to live the rest of our lives worry free.” I smiled into his chest. As nice as all of that sounded, I knew it wasn’t that easy. 

He let go as Dal came up to me and gave me a stern look, “You do not leave this house for any reason. If I find out you even step so much as a nose out that door, I will skin you alive. Got it?” I nodded my head. “Keep the heater with you and don’t open the door for anyone. I’m serious Sage. Don’t go doing your own thing tonight.” I bit my bottom lip as the nerves ran through me. He ruffled my hair and walked out the door with the rest of the gang. 

All too soon the house was deathly quiet. Angela gave me a look and I knew in that moment she was as nervous as I was. “Tell me he isn’t as crazy as what Tim was saying?” 

I couldn’t tell her that Mark belonged in an insane asylum, locked up and far away from the rest of the world. That the boys were in more danger than they have ever been in their lives. Because if I told her the truth, she would be out that door in a heartbeat, dragging her brother away from it all. 

I knew something was going to happen tonight, I just prayed it wasn’t to one of ours.


End file.
